Date of Submission
Spring 2011
Academic Program
Biology
Advisor
Michael Tibbetts
Abstract/Artist's Statement
In the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, there are four cephalic sheath glia (CEPsh glia), which are bipolar cells that ensheath the sensory dendrites of CEP neurons and also associate with the nerve ring (the worm analog of a brain) by sending sheet-like processes that terminate at specific synaptic connections. Previous investigations indicate that animals in which the CEPsh glia were genetically ablated during the first larval stage display various locomotor behavioral defects (Katz et al., unpublished), indicating the importance of glial cells for proper neuronal activity in a living organism. To identify molecular interactions between the CEPsh glia and the neurons by which locomotor behavior is regulated, a suppressor screen on CEPsh glia-ablated worms was performed using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis, selecting for animals with improved locomotion. About 60 000 EMS-mutagenized worms were screened in a locomotion assay, and 31 lines with significantly improved locomotion compared to the glia-ablated line were obtained. Following detailed analysis of specific locomotor characteristics, 7 lines were found to exhibit pronounced improvement in the parameters of locomotion, speed, pausing and exploratory pattern. Mapping the affected genes that underlie these mutants may shed light on the molecular interactions between glia and other cells that together regulate neuronal activity.
Distribution Options
Access restricted to On-Campus only
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Dragomir, Elena I., "A supressor screen to reveal molecular mechanisms by which glia regulate neuronal function in the C. elegans nervous system" (2011). Senior Projects Spring 2011. 123.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2011/123
This work is protected by a Creative Commons license. Any use not permitted under that license is prohibited.
Bard Off-campus DownloadBard College faculty, staff, and students can login from off-campus by clicking on the Off-campus Download button and entering their Bard username and password.