 | Lauren Anllo The College of New Jersey BiologyMentor(s)Martha Soto, Ph.D. Huajiang Xiong, Ph.D. Department of Pathology UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School |
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| Molecular mapping of a novel morphogenesis gene in Caenorhabditis elegans | ||
| In order to understand how cells and tissues move during embryonic morphogenesis, it is necessary to understand the regulators of the cytoskeleton. The WAVE/SCAR protein complex promotes polymerization of actin cytoskeletal filaments at the leading edge of cells undergoing movements. Upon activation by the small GTPase, Rac, this complex binds Arp2/3, which initiates branched actin filament polymerization. Cell migrations including those regulated by the WAVE/SCAR pathway are coordinated through changes in cell shape. C. elegans embryos lacking any component of the WAVE/SCAR pathway fail to complete epidermal enclosure due to morphogenesis defects, and they exhibit the “Gut on the exterior” or “Gex” phenotype. Some components that regulate actin polymerization, like the upstream signals, are unknown. Cloning novel mutants with the Gex phenotype may identify these missing components. This study seeks to map a novel gene encoding a potential component of this pathway. A genetic screen that was performed to identify novel WAVE/SCAR regulators obtained the C. elegans mutant pj21, which exhibits the Gex phenotype. DNA was extracted for single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping from pj21 mutants, amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cut with a restriction endonuclease, and visualized with UV transillumination on an agarose gel. Comparison of mutant DNA cutting patterns to those of wild-type DNA identified SNPs linked to pj21 in segments 12, 13 and 14 of chromosome 1, thus narrowing the molecular location of pj21. These results will help when cloning pj21, after which the PJ21 protein and its potential interaction with the WAVE/SCAR pathway can be studied. Since defective WAVE proteins have been associated with metastasis, this knowledge of WAVE/SCAR regulators can guide research concerning novel cancer therapeutics. |