Development of a C. elegans Model Sensory Assay for Behavioral Neurobiology Undergraduate Laboratories
Start Date
April 2024
Location
2nd floor - Library
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a non-parasitic, non-pathogenic, free-living nematode that has become a widely used model organism in sensory biology. This is because c. elegans anatomy contains a simple nervous system made up of 302 neurons that regulates a number of processes, including chemotaxis, sensory processing, and learning. The simplicity of the c. elegans nervous system alongside its ease of use in lab have led to its increase in use in biological assays. In this experiment, we develop standardized assays for distinguishing between genetic C. elegans mutants for future use in a pedagogical laboratory. Assays were designed and tested with known mutant strains to determine the validity of the test, and statistical analysis was performed to show differentiation between strains in each assay. This work will help to develop a set of standardized assays for students in a pedagogical laboratory to perform robust experiments using this important model system.
Development of a C. elegans Model Sensory Assay for Behavioral Neurobiology Undergraduate Laboratories
2nd floor - Library
Caenorhabditis elegans is a non-parasitic, non-pathogenic, free-living nematode that has become a widely used model organism in sensory biology. This is because c. elegans anatomy contains a simple nervous system made up of 302 neurons that regulates a number of processes, including chemotaxis, sensory processing, and learning. The simplicity of the c. elegans nervous system alongside its ease of use in lab have led to its increase in use in biological assays. In this experiment, we develop standardized assays for distinguishing between genetic C. elegans mutants for future use in a pedagogical laboratory. Assays were designed and tested with known mutant strains to determine the validity of the test, and statistical analysis was performed to show differentiation between strains in each assay. This work will help to develop a set of standardized assays for students in a pedagogical laboratory to perform robust experiments using this important model system.
