Date of Project
4-30-2024
Document Type
Honors Thesis
School Name
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Biology
Major Advisor
Dr. Paul Kiser
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is considered a common and complex neurogenerative disease characterized by the complete loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra pars compacta. With the incomplete understanding of this neurological disorder, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic nematode, could serve as a model organism of study due to specific gene analogs, relating to PD, present in both C. elegans and humans. The gene of interest for this project is catp-6 in C. elegans an ortholog of the human ATP132A gene. Mutations in the ATP132A gene correlate with an abnormal form of early onset PD called Kufor-Rakeb Syndrome, characterized by motor function loss. This project aims to utilize C. elegans catp-6 knockout mutants to conduct studies focused on developmental explorations, and ultimately gender-related behavioral differences, with potential implications in PD.
Recommended Citation
Weafer, Kaiser Kate, "A Developmental Exploration of the Role of Catp-6 gene in Model Organism C. elegans relating to Parkinson’s Disease" (2024). Undergraduate Theses. 152.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/ugrad_theses/152