Caenorhabditis elegans

(sē″nō-rab′dīt′ĭs el′ĕ-ganz″)
(el′ĕ-gans″)

A roundworm, about 1 mm long. It is the first multicellular organism for which the full genome was sequenced. Its cells are used in studies of the molecular basis of development, aging, and fat metabolism.