30th Annual Student Research Conference
Analyzing the structure of microtubules in mutant Caenorhabditis elegans epidermis
Rachel J. Prins
Dr. Stephanie Maiden, Faculty Mentor
Mutations in the genes vab-9 and sma-1 affect development of the epithelium in <i>C. elegans</i> embryos. While it is known that the structure and distribution of actin and spectrin cytoskeletons have a direct association to the variation in phenotypes in these mutant embryos, there is some indication that the microtubule cytoskeleton could also be affected although this has never been shown. These mutant strains have been analyzed for microtubule defects in the epithelium through immunofluorescent freeze-cracking methods. Preliminary data demonstrated a possible decrease in the microtubule immunofluorescence. Current investigations are attempting to optimize the technique to determine the significance of these results.
Keywords:
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 6-
Location: GEO - SUB
Time: