RUI: Centrosome positioning and polarity establishment in the C. elegans embryo

Ursinus College, Collegeville PA

Investigators

Abstract

The establishment of future body axes (e.g., head to tail or top to bottom) is a crucial early step in animal development. In the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the anterior-posterior (head to tail) axis is established in the one-cell stage embryo when the centrosome, the microtubule organizing center of the cell, contacts the cell cortex. Although the contact appears to be essential for axis establishment, the timing and mechanism governing this centrosome-cortical association is unknown. The PI has identified the PAM-1 protein (puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase) as a crucial regulator of these events. This protein is found in diverse animals from C. elegans to humans. In this project, the timing and mechanism of centrosome movements will be elucidated using genetic and molecular approaches with study of PAM-1 as a central component of the work. The roles of the microtubule motor protein dynein and microtubule growth will be examined as well as new proteins identified through genetic screens. This project will reveal the proteins that control centrosome movement and cortical association in C. elegans as well as how these events are coordinated with the cell cycle. The outcomes are likely to have far reaching impacts on the fields of microtubule dynamics, axis establishment and puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase function. This work will be performed at an undergraduate college; hence, a major goal of this project is to immerse undergraduates in meaningful research projects. All the work will be performed in conjunction with undergraduates and portions of the research will be incorporated into an open-ended laboratory course in Molecular Genetics. Students will present their work at national conferences and will be prepared for entry into research-based graduate programs.