Construction of a system for single-cell transgene induction in Caenorhabditis elegans using a pulsed infrared laser

•We describe methods for construction of a system for single-cell transgene induction in C. elegans.•We use a pulsed infrared diode laser to heat a single cell.•The system is built from only off-the-shelf components.

The spatial and temporal control of transgene expression is an important tool in Caenorhabditis elegans biology. We previously described a method for evoking gene expression in arbitrary cells by using a focused pulsed infrared laser to induce a heat shock response (Churgin et al., 2013) [1]. Here we describe detailed methods for building and testing a system for performing single-cell heat shock. Steps include setting up the laser and associated components, coupling the laser beam to a microscope, and testing heat shock protocols. All steps can be carried out using readily available off-the-shelf components.