Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 44 8 2015 10 11 1061 1071 EN Si ZHANG Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China AND Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Fengtai District of Beijing City, Beijing, China. Zhaolian LU Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China. Hongmei LIANG Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China. Ximei FU Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China. Yan ZHANG Dept. of Anesthesiology, First Hospital, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China. Xin LIU Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China. Genshu BAO Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China Tao JING Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China Xuan WANG Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China AND Suqian Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu, China. Meng WANG Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China AND Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China. Julong WU Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China AND Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong, China. Gen CHEN Pathogens Biology Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China AND Key Lab of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, Gansu, China. 2015 10 11 2015 10 11 Background: 5-Fluorouracil could lead to a decline in fertility in Caenorhabditis elegans. The aim of this study was to describe the mechanisms underlying such an altered fertility phenotype and to illustrate the specific genes and path-ways that are involved in the related phenotypic changes in C. elegans. Methods: We isolated total RNA from the samples and used a new method called Digital Gene Expression (DGE), which can rapidly identify genes with altered transcript levels. The random genes were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Results: We analyzed the results of two methods to draw conclusions based on a comparison between C. elegans and other harmful parasites. Compared with controls, 1147 genes were up-regulated, and 1067 were down-regulated. Overall, 101 up-regulated genes had a log2 ratio higher than 8, whereas the log2 ratio of 141 down-regulated genes was higher than 8. After mapping to the reference database, 4 pathways were confirmed to be involved in this phe-nomenon, with statistically significant participation from 19 genes. Conclusion: For the first time, the transcript sequence of 5-Fu-treated worms and controls was detected. We found that 4 possible pathways, i.e., ECM-receptor interaction pathway, TGF-beta signaling pathway, Focal adhesion and Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, may be involved in the number decline in the embryos of C. elegans. Specifically, the ECM-receptor interaction pathway and Focal adhesion may be very important pathways that alter the reproduction of C. elegans. https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/3356 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/3356/3075