21st Annual Student Research Conference
Determination of an Effective Substrate for Nutritional Examination of C. elegans During Embryogenesis
Chelle King Porter
Dr. Timothy D. Walston, Faculty Mentor
In C. elegans, one of the major morphogenetic events is the development of the epidermis of the embryo. One of the cell migrations, dorsal intercalation, resembles a simplified version of the morphogenetic process called convergent extension, which narrows tissue along one axis to elongate it along another. In vertebrates, failure of convergent extension often results in neural tube defects (NTDs). Since NTDs are decreased when periconceptional levels of folate are increased, we sought to examine the effects of folic acid on morphogenesis in C. elegans. To analyze this problem, we created and evaluated several axenic media to determine the best substrate for culturing C. elegans with differential nutrient requirements during embryogenesis. In addition, we examined lethality in a folate transporter mutant. We are continuing to explore genetic and culturing methods to enable us to examine the roles of folate on epidermal morphogenesis in C. elegans.
Keywords: C. elegans, folate, morphogenesis, neural tube defect, NTD, folic acid, Caenorhabditis elegans, axenic media
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 3-11
Location: OP Lobby
Time: 4:15