Transcriptomic profile of bulk C. elegans population over time

In order to understand age-associated changes in the transcriptome, we quantified the average gene expression profile of C. elegans nematodes at days 1-12 of life. Because of the high temporal resolution at which data was collected, these data can be used as a ground truth measurement for the transcriptomic determination of physiological age. C. elegans were synchronized by hypochlorite treatment aftter which synchronized L1 larvae were distributed across 12 NGM plates seeded with a standard E. coli OP50 lawn. RNA was then collected from one plate every 24 hours through day 12. This was repeated 3 times for a total of 2-3 replicates per time point. To prevent the appearance of progeny, we used a strain of C. elegans carrying a temperature sensative mutation in the spermatogenesis gene spe-9 (hc88), and animals were kept at the restrictive temperature of 25 degrees C.