The Cosmic Countertop

The Role of Actin Binding Proteins in Uterine and Vulval Muscles in Caenorhabditis elegans

Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of muscle diseases that cause the progressive weakness and degeneration of the muscles, affecting approximately 3.6 in 100,000 humans globally. Gene therapy, the manipulation of gene expression to produce a therapeutic effect, is a potential treatment for MD. Actin binding proteins (ABPs) are essential for proper sarcomeric development and structural integrity as they regulate proper actin filament organization which is required for muscle contraction. However, how ABPs behave in a living and developing contractile system remains understudied. Here, I suggest that the development of the uterine and vulval muscles in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) can be used as an in vivo model to understand muscle development.  In this study, ABPs in C. elegans were depleted using RNA interference (RNAi) to determine their impact on the development and egg-laying abilities of the animals. The impact of ABP depletion can be evaluated by examining phenotypes and determining brood size. Based on several trials, we found that ABPs do play a role in C. elegans development, however the extent of each ABP’s impact varied. Furthermore, our data suggest that some ABPs impact uterine and vulval muscle cell function.

Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Adikes

Research Lab: https://adikeslab.com/