egl-32 acts through sperm to regulate egg-laying in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Item
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Title
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egl-32 acts through sperm to regulate egg-laying in Caenorhabditis elegans.
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Identifier
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AAI3205006
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identifier
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3205006
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Creator
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McGovern, Marie.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Cathy Savage-Dunn
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Date
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2006
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology, Molecular | Biology, Cell | Biology, Genetics | Biology, Animal Physiology
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Abstract
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A study of the egg-laying defective mutant, egl-32, in Caenorhabditis elegans has revealed that sperm have an active role in regulating egg-laying. Initially, our lab became interested in studying egl-32 because we believed it interacted directly with a TGF-beta pathway that regulates dauer development. In studying this mutant we hoped we would gain a better understanding of the role of the TGF-beta dauer pathway in egg-laying. We now believe that egl-32 and the TGF-beta pathway only interact indirectly. However, studying the egg-laying defective mutant, egl-32, has lead to the novel finding that sperm have an influence on egg-laying. In an attempt to determine the cellular and anatomical basis for the egl-32's egg laying defect it was found that egl-32 interacts with genes highly expressed in sperm. Here I present evidence that the cellular basis of the egl-32's egg-laying defective phenotype is due to a defect in sperm. I have investigated the possibility that sperm are playing an active role in egg-laying by performing simple mating experiments. These mating experiments have revealed the wild-type sperm can rescue the egg-laying defect of egl-32 mutant animals. Also, introduction of mutant egl-32 sperm into wild-type animals can induce an egg-laying defective phenotype. In an effort to determine the exact location of egl-32 a candidate gene, smn-1 was uncovered. A knockout of smn-1 was obtained and characterized. The knockout is homozygous lethal. Heterozygous animals are egg-laying defective and respond similarly to egl-32 in mating experiments. smn-1 was also determined to interact with the same sperm proteins as egl-32.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
