Name: Elizabeth Monier High School: Keystone School Mentor: Mr. Charles Maderer

1. Name: Elizabeth Monier • High School: Keystone School • Mentor: Mr. Charles Maderer • Project Title: The Effects of Gene Suppression and Exposure to MPTP on Dopamine Neurons of C. elegans as a Model for Parkinson’s Disease • Scientists use organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans to model human diseases. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive brain disorder characterized by irregular dopamine transport due to degeneration of dopamine neurons. Patients exhibit rigidity and tremors. BZ555 C. elegans, genetically altered to express GFP in dopamine neurons, were exposed to the toxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) which ablates dopamine neurons to model Parkinson’s. The suppression of neurotransmitter-specific genes may help confer resistance to the effects of MPTP. • The purposes of this project were to suppress cat-4, dat-1, dop-1, and unc-2 using interference RNA (iRNA) in BZ555 C. elegans to determine the effects of gene suppression on longevity, prevent or decrease MPTP-induced neuronal degeneration, and propose a prevention against Parkinson’s. Protocols consisted of iRNA induction to suppress targeted genes, nematode exposure to MPTP, fluorescence microscopy of dopaminergic neurons, and gel analysis of protein production in the RNAi treated C. elegans. • All dopamine neurons were ablated at the 1.2 mM concentration of MPTP which served as the model for Parkinson’s. The dop-1 suppressed C. elegans exhibited intact dopamine neurons after exposure to the highest concentration of MPTP in addition to the longest lifespan of the experimental groups; the suppression effectively prevented toxin induced neuronal degeneration.