Research Symposium

BIO

Hello, My name is Onyinye Onyia! I am a sophomore studying biology on the pre-med track!

Investigating the effect of RNAi knockdown of pgl-1 and ppw-2 in C. elegans

Abstract

Genetically identical individuals can exhibit differences in their traits; however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain obscure. Using C. elegans, a roundworm commonly used as a model organism for biological research, we can create genetically identical individuals and use these individuals to test the influence of gene expression differences on traits of interest. Previous research has shown that variation in gene expression across individuals is associated with differences in reproductive traits. To test whether these genes are causal to affect reproduction in C. elegans, I am using RNAi to reduce mRNA expression and score reproductive traits. I am studying two genes of interest, pgl-1 and ppw-2. Preliminary results indicate that pgl-1 knockdown reduces progeny production, suggesting that pgl-1 function is typically required for normal progeny production. In contrast, ppw-2 does not appear to have an effect on progeny production in this experiment. Continued experimentation will further elucidate the role of these genes and others in C. elegans reproduction.

Keywords: genetics, c-elegans, DNA, RNAi, reproduction