Submission Date
4-25-2016
Document Type
Paper- Restricted to Campus Access
Department
Biology
Adviser
Rebecca Lyczak
Committee Member
Peter Small
Committee Member
Peter Chi
Committee Member
Rebecca Lyczak
Department Chair
Peter Small
External Reviewer
Philip Meneely
Distinguished Honors
This paper has met the requirements for Distinguished Honors
Project Description
In C. elegans, polarization of the one-cell embryo determines the anterior-posterior, or head-to-tail axis of the organism. The sperm-donated centrosome appears to be a key component in axis polarization although the mechanism of the centrosome cue has not been elucidated. PAM-1, a puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase, has a role in protein degradation to trigger the completion of meiosis and the formation of the anterior-posterior axis. Centrosomes in pam-1 mutants spend a significantly shorter duration at the posterior cortex and depart from the cortex prematurely, leading to a failure in polarity establishment. This project is looking to support the hypothesis that duration of centrosome-cortex contact might indicate the centrosome is necessary not only for initiating, but also for sustaining the polarization process. Incorporation of PAR proteins, which serve as additional polarity markers, into wild-type and pam-1 mutant strains followed with time-lapse imaging will provide greater understanding of centrosome dynamics applicable not only to C. elegans, but also to a diversity of organisms.
Recommended Citation
Saturno, Dominique M., "The Role of Centrosome-Cortical Contact in the Establishment of the Anterior-Posterior Axis in the One-Cell C. elegans Embryo" (2016). Biology Honors Papers. 7.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/biology_hon/7
