2003-2004 Research Project

The research project for the 2003/2004 WSSP focuses on the genomic analysis of Caenorhabditis remanei, a nematode closely related to Caenorhabditis elegans, and how the genes in this organism compare to other species of worms and higher eukaryotes.

 Students working on the project isolated and sequenced genes from the C. remanei worm. The sequences of these genes have never been determined before and this information will be deposited in the international sequence databases for the students and other scientists to use. Students compared these sequences with genes from related worms and other eukaryotes to determine the evolutionary relationship of these organisms and the sequence conservation of specific genes. The genes were tested to determine if they have an important role in the worm using RNAi experiments to inhibit the gene function. RNAi's are double-stranded RNA that work by degrading homologous RNA's, thereby interfering with gene expression. Students introduced C. remanei double-stranded RNA's into a related worm to determine if they will target homologous (similar) RNA's. Conserved RNA's (shared by both worms) are likely to be products of genes that code for basic functions that are essential for survival.

In the course of these studies, students, teachers, and research scientists worked together, using the basic principles of molecular biology and genetic engineering to try to solve this research problem. By actually doing science, teachers and students gained an understanding of how science operates.