Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Elizabeth Hogan and I am currently a freshman pursuing a biochemistry major at Florida State University.

The Effect of RNAi Knockdown of atfs-1, hsp-6, dpy-30, set-25, and C47E12.2 on C. elegans Early Brood Count

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans is a species of nematode that is often used as a model species in genetic research. In order for a model species to be useful in research, it is crucial that as much information as possible is known about that species. This experiment seeks to answer the question of how five specific genes, namely C47E12.2, atfs-1, hsp-6, set-25, and dpy-30, influence the early reproduction of C. elegans. In order to answer this question, RNA interference through feeding was performed on C. elegans nematodes in order to knock down the expression of each gene individually. The results of this experiment showed a significant decrease in early brood count for all five experimental genes with hsp-6 being highly significant. In addition, it was found that high embryonic and developmental lethality was part of the reason for the low early brood count for hsp-6. Lastly, it was found that there is no significant difference between the early brood counts of early L4 stage and late L4 stage nematodes treated with hsp-6 RNAi when compared to a control condition. These findings set the stage for further research into the role of hsp-6 in C. elegans reproduction.

Keywords: C. elegans, RNAi, early brood