24th Annual Student Research Conference
A Genetic Screen for Mutations Affecting Morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Charleen L. Johnson♦
Dr. Timothy D. Walston, Faculty Mentor
The nematode worm Ceanorhabditis elegans has proven to be an excellent model organism for the study of morphogenetic movements during embryogenesis. Determining the genetic mechanisms that regulate these movements can aid in the understanding of similar cell movements in other organisms, such as the neural tube in vertebrates. Defects in neural tube development in humans can lead to many diseases, such as spina bifida and anencephaly. An ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis screen in C. elegans will result in the isolation of strains carrying mutant genes resulting in embryonic defects for dorsal intercalation, ventral enclosure and elongation. Snip-SNP mapping and DNA sequencing will aid in the identification of genes that carry mutations that affect these developmental stages.
Keywords: C. elegans, Genetic Screen, Morphogenesis, Neural Tube Defects
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 7-1
Location: MG 1098
Time: 8:00