Document Type

Honors Project

Publication Date

6-5-2024

Abstract

Approximately 30 trillion cells perpetually build and maintain the human body (3). While these cells vary widely in function, a common feature stands out– a substantial majority are ciliated (1). Cilia are the oldest known cellular organelles, found in the last eukaryotic common ancestor, and first described by Anthony van Leeuwenhoek in 1675 (7). Mutations in ciliary proteins contribute to a wide array of diseases including ciliopathies, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancers. Despite the high prevalence of cilia in organisms and three centuries of research, their roles have yet to be fully understood or characterized. The atypical kinase MAPK-15 is necessary for ciliary and neuronal function in Caenorhabditis elegans and in regulating DAT-1, a dopamine transporter. Dendrite length variation in MAPK-15 knockout single mutants suggests involvement in other pathways. CED-1 is a transmembrane receptor identified to have roles in neurite pruning in AFD, a ciliated sensory neuron (CSN) in C.elegans, with the possibility of similar involvement in other CSNs. Therefore, our hypothesis is that MAPK-15 and CED-1 interact to modulate ciliary and neuronal function in C.elegans dopaminergic neurons. Ciliary length quantified in MAPK-15 and CED-1 mutant animals show that double mutants have the most ciliary degradation and loss of function, suggesting that CED-1 is a necessary component in ciliary pathways. Furthermore, through the microinjection of an exogeneous GFP-tagged CED-1, we also aim to confirm preliminary data from our lab that suggests that CED-1 localizes to sheath cells surrounding neuronal cilia and interacts with MAPK-15.

Level of Honors

cum laude

Department

Select One

Department

Neuroscience

Advisor

Brian Piasecki

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