Date of Project

4-30-2025

Document Type

Honors Thesis

School Name

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Biology

Major Advisor

Dr. Mary Kroetz

Second Advisor

Dr. Josef Jareczek

Abstract

The reproductive system of hermaphrodite Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) comprises two gonadal arms, each with a terminating distal tip cell (DTC), connected by a common uterus. The DTC has two functions: leader and niche. In C. elegans, ceh-22/nkx2,5 has been found to work together with Wnt signaling to determine the fates of the DTC (Lam et al., 2006). This is an indication that ceh-22 aids in the specification of DTCs. Our research aims to determine the specific function of ceh-22 in the gonad of both male and hermaphrodite C. elegans. This will be accomplished by observing the effect of the absence of CEH-22 protein in the tissue. However, due to the gene’s essentiality in various aspects of the development of C. elegans, the deletion of the gene entirely will result in the death of the animals. To avoid this, we utilize a Degron toolkit to target GFP-tagged proteins for ubiquitination and degradation.

Share

COinS