Mutation Detection:
- Gene Knockouts
- 2000 Genomes
Muscle Research:
- Myofilament Research
- Myoblast Migration |
In C. elegans myoblasts arise from several different founder
cell lineages. These cells initially arrange themselves in two rows
along the left and right lateral midlines and at ~290 min of development
they migrate dorsally and ventrally to form the four muscle quadrants
present upon hatching. As the myoblasts migrate they are still dividing,
as are many other cells around them. This means the cell-cell contacts
of cells during migration varies from animal to animal. This situation
creates an environment where the extracellular matrix (ECM) and
cell surface contacts are in constant flux, which begs the questions
as to how these cells navigate unerringly to their final destination.
A number of ECM and cell surface components are known to affect
cell positioning, migration and attachment in other organisms. The C. elegans homologues of these proteins are involved in
the same processes, but during late development, and do not appear
to have a role during myoblast migration. In an effort to identify
the proteins involved in early myoblast migrations we are currently
testing genes predicted to be in, or interacting with the ECM using
RNAi knockdowns. A two-tiered approach involving fluorescent and
4-D microscopy is being used to identify RNAi treated animals for
potential muscle migration and positioning defects. |
