30th Annual Student Research Conference
Searching for microtubule regulators in the developing epidermis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Amanda M. Darby*, Sonam A. Wangyal, Yu-Shiuan Hsu, and Angela K. Jennings
Dr. Stephanie Maiden, Faculty Mentor
Microtubules have been shown to be critical in development of the outer epithelium of C. elegans embryos, but specific proteins involved in the process are less well understood. Using a feeding RNAi approach, several genes encoding microtubule associated proteins have been knocked-down to look for novel phenotypes in the epithelium. Three genes, ptl-1, apr-1, and unc-33, are suspected to be associated with movement along microtubules, stabilization, and structural support. Single and double knockdown of these genes produced no phenotypic defects in C. elegans. Body elongation defects in the embryo due to the knockdown of a gene is an identifier in its direct or indirect involvement with microtubules in the epithelium. Future experimentation will examine other potential microtubules-associated protein-encoding genes and provide a potential way to understand the function of the protein products in epithelial development of embryos.
Keywords: c. elegans, epidermis, embryos, development, RNAi, microtubules
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 6-
Location: GEO - SUB
Time: