Fig. 2. Equipment and consumables for Replica Set experiments.

Equipment necessary for RSM experiments is commonly available in laboratories that work with C. elegans, especially those which regularly utilize feeding-based RNAi. (a) 96-Well culture plate for storage of frozen libraries of bacterial RNAi clones as glycerol stocks. (b) Rectangular single-well plate for LB amp + tet agar slabs for creating intermediate-term working cultures of RNAi libraries on solid media. (c) Reagent reservoir for bulk reagent pipetting tasks with multichannel pipettes, such as adding fresh LB to a new 96-well plate. (d) Gas-permeable adhesive membrane for sealing deep-well plates during incubation while allowing gas exchange. Note that in the image a corner of the backing has been peeled back to reveal the membrane. (e) 2 mL deep-well culture plate for seeding replica plates. (f) 24-Well culture plate for use as replica plates. In a typical experiment, wells would be filled with solid RNAi growth media before seeding with bacteria and then C. elegans. (g) Electronic 1250 μL six-channel repeat pipette with adjustable tip spacing (sometimes referred to as an “equalizer” pipette). (h) Electronic 300 μL 12-channel repeat pipette (fixed spacing). (i) Pin plate replicator for 96-well plates with stainless-steel pins. Allows easy transfer of bacteria from glycerol stocks to liquid culture, or from liquid culture to solid media, while also being easy to sterilize. (j) Adhesive foil cover for frozen RNAi library glycerol stock plates. (k) Rubber roller for securing adhesive foil plate covers