Student Publications and Presentations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2104/10219
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Browsing Student Publications and Presentations by Subject "C. elegans"
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Item Induced Mutation in Caenorhabditis elegans Causes Dopamine Resistance(2018-08-06) Walker, Brody; Grewal, Amanpreet Singh; Grayson, Nicholas Kallas; Harris, Luke Reed; Diokpa, Chijindu; Aceves, Tatiana; Lee, Myeongwoo.; Baylor University. Dept. of Biology.In humans, drug addiction is linked to varying dependencies of dopamine levels in the brain. The neurotransmitter is involved in many behavioral mechanisms in animals and mediates the reward pathway. In C. elegans, one of the effects of dopamine is to inhibit motor neuron activity and create a basal slowing response in the N2 (wild types). As a result, egg-laying in wild types is inhibited. To induce egg laying, mutagenized C. elegans were created with EMS (ethyl methansulfonate) to potentially produce a dopamine resistant mutation. After mutagenesis, 334 nematodes were isolated and screened for egg laying behavior. Both wild type and mutant nematodes were exposed to M9 (control), dopamine, and L-dopa (dopamine precursor) solutions. After 1 hour of incubation in these conditions, quantitative analysis was performed to assess the amount of eggs produced. Using an ANOVA test, statistical significance (p<0.001) was found between the wild type and mutant groups both exposed to dopamine. This implies there has been an induced dopamine resistance. The precursor to dopamine, L-dopa, showed similar effects with regard to egg laying behavior. When the dopamine pathway in C. elegans is known, the gene or group of genes implicated for dopamine resistance can be determined. Once identified, a homologous gene in humans could be located and studied for similar drug-resistant effects. The knowledge gained from this research has implications in the fields of gene therapy and drug abuse.Item The Influence of Imipramine on the Egg-Laying Behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans(2018-08-06) Alaniz, Alyssa; Valencia, Michael James; Hussain, Neha; Feese, Emily Ann; Luksch, Annie Sarah; Mancillas, Victoria Alexandra; Lee, Myeongwoo.; Baylor University. Dept. of Biology.Discovering new ways to treat mental disorders is at the forefront of scientific research due to their imposing challenges on worldwide health. A current drug therapy option is imipramine, marketed as Tofranil, a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) used to treat mental disorders such as depression. TCA’s predominantly inhibit the reuptake of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. The effects of exogenous serotonin increases egg laying by stimulating vulva contractions within Caenorhabditis elegans. To determine the effect of imipramine, C. elegans were analyzed based on their important physiological process, egg laying. Wild-type (N2) C. elegans responded to imipramine by showing increased egg-laying behavior. In order to observe the phenotype of mutant C. elegans in imipramine, worms were treated with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) to induce point mutations. The desired recessive mutants (Strain A) were determined by those who laid the least amount of eggs in the liquid egg-laying assays of imipramine. Egg laying assays were also conducted in doxepin, serotonin, and control M9 solutions. Since doxepin is a TCA similar to imipramine, it had similar effects on Strain A mutants by also demonstrating a decrease in egg-laying behavior.Item Isolation of Mutant Caenorhabditis elegans Resistant to Integrin α Subunit Deficiency(2020-04-21) Johnson, Bryce; Battle, Rachel; Chavez, Boozaziel; Escamilla, Astrid; Smelser, Ashton; Lee, Myeongwoo; Baylor University. Dept. of Biology; Baylor University.; Baylor University. Dept. of BiologyThe ina-1-encoded integrin α subunit is essential to Caenorhabditis elegans development, due to its role in complex processes such as morphogenesis, neuron migration, and cell signaling. Studies have shown that when this gene is mutated, many larvae die, and the worms that do survive display inactivity and morphogenic defects. Specifically, α-integrins function within heterodimeric integral membrane proteins and facilitate cellular and organismal processes via interactions between the cell’s cytoskeleton and other cell surfaces and the extracellular matrix. Similar to C. elegans’ ina-1 gene, humans possess 18 ina-1 homologs (ITGA3, ITGA6, and ITGA7), which are integral to normal human development; defects in the human α-integrin genes are linked to congenital muscular dystrophy, epidermolysis bullosa and cancer. C. elegans are a model organism to better understand integrin subunits and their important roles in both nematode development and human disorders due to their small number of α- integrin genes, which simplifies their genetic analysis. In this study, we generated and isolated mutants C. elegans that suppressed the integrin subunit deficiency by treating them with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Mutants expressing suppressor mutations were characterized by more successful development, viability, and movement. The phenotypes were analyzed, and the mutants displaying these characteristics were isolated and cultured to form a colony of worms that contained the suppressor mutation. In the future, we will genetically analyze the suppressors of ina-1 mutations to elucidate their genetic basis and their important implications in human homologs.