Forward genetics is a powerful tool to unravel molecular mechanisms of diverse biological processes. The success of genetic screens primarily relies on the ease of genetic manipulation of an organism and the availability of a plethora of genetic tools. The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the favorite models for genetic studies due to its hermaphroditic lifestyle, ease of maintenance, and availability of various genetic manipulation tools. The strength of C. elegans genetics is highlighted by the leading role of this organism in the discovery of several conserved biological processes. In this review, the principles and strategies for forward genetics in C. elegans are discussed. Further, the recent advancements that have drastically accelerated the otherwise time-consuming process of mutation identification, making forward genetic screens a method of choice for understanding biological functions, are discussed. The emphasis of the review has been on providing practical and conceptual pointers for designing genetic screens that will identify mutations, specifically disrupting the biological processes of interest.

正向遗传学是揭示各种生物过程的分子机制的有力工具。遗传筛选的成功主要取决于对生物体进行遗传操作的简便性以及大量遗传工具的可用性。蛔虫秀丽隐杆线虫一直喜爱的车型进行遗传研究之一，由于其雌雄同体的生活方式，便于维修，以及各种遗传操作工具的可用性。秀丽隐杆线虫遗传学的力量被该生物在发现几个保守的生物过程中的领导作用所突显。在这篇综述中，秀丽隐杆线虫正向遗传学的原理和策略讨论。此外，讨论了极大地加速了原本耗时的突变鉴定过程的最新进展，提出了进行遗传筛选的方法，以了解生物学功能。审查的重点一直是为设计遗传筛选提供实用和概念性的指示，这些筛选将识别突变，特别是破坏感兴趣的生物学过程。