Date of Project

4-28-2025

Document Type

Honors Thesis

School Name

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Biology

Major Advisor

Dr. Kroetz

Second Advisor

Dr. Challener

Abstract

The nematode, formally known as Caenorhabditis elegans, has served as an excellent model organism in understanding fundamental biological processes, including those governed by conserved genes like pros-1. pros-1 is partially responsible for the formation of tubular structures within the organism. Glial cells and excretory canals are both examples of tubular structures governed by pros-1. pros-1 orchestrates the embryonic development of these cell types by modulating cell proliferation and differentiation, thus ensuring proper morphogenesis and organogenesis. Its regulatory influence likely extends beyond embryogenesis, potentially affecting reproductive processes as well. Furthermore, the evolutionary conservation of pros-1 underscores its significance across species.

Given the relevance of gene expression in developmental processes of all organisms, it is crucial to study the orthologues of pros-1 in different organisms. Examining sex-biased genes between C. elegans and mice offers insights into how conserved genes like pros-1 operate differently in males and females, and how these differences are regulated across species. This comparison not only validates gene expression findings but also highlights the broader implications of gene function in gonadogenesis. Studying the regulation of sex-biased genes can provide insights into how genes like pros-1 influence development in both C. elegans and mice, which can be extrapolated to better understand gene regulation in other organisms, including humans. Using a mixed method analysis, gonad-enriched and sex-biased genes in C. elegans were compared to orthologs in mice to determine which genes might have an ancient role in gonad formation.

To better understand the role and expression of pros-1 in the C. elegans gonad, a genetic cross will be performed that will generate a strain of animals that allows for the testing of the role of pros-1 in the male gonad. The cross will occur between a pros-1::gfp hermaphrodite and ckb-1::degron; him-8 male, thus creating a system in which the Pros-1 protein will be degraded only in the gonad, leaving the other proteins expressed by pros-1 elsewhere in the organism unaffected and functioning normally. This allows the role of pros-1 specifically in the gonad to be better understood.

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