Use the hyperlinks below to learn about the WSSP research project.
The Research Project
2003/2004 Research Project
The research project for the 2003/2004 WSSP focuses on the genomic analysis of C. remanei, a nematode closely related to C. elegans, and how the genes in this organism compare to other species of worms and higher eukaryotes.
Students in the project will isolate and sequence genes from the C. remanei worm. The sequences of these genes has never been determined before and this information will be deposited in the international sequence databases for the students and other scientists to use. Students in the program will compare 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 will then be tested to determine if they have an important role in the worm using RNAi experiments to inhibit the gene. RNAi's are double-stranded RNA that work by degrading homologous RNA's, thereby interfering with gene expression. Students will introduce 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 work 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 gain an understanding of how science operates.
