The life of C.elegans & their abnormalities told by Maia Goel

This past week, we all had the chance to learn more about the different and interesting fields of research our program’s cohort was involved in. Each chalk talk was very insightful, from the different levels of science that they target to the methods we are implementing in our projects, which some of us found to have similarities with each other. The chalk talk that stood out to me the most because of its uniqueness was Maia’s presentation on the Early Life Starvation & Gonard abnormalities that C.elegans can develop.

First off, it is impressive that C.elegans can pause their growth if their environment is not in the proper conditions for them to grow, meaning that it lacks nutrients. Maia explained that the stage is known as “L1 arrest,” and it can last as long as the c.elegans need it, which is until they have the food enabling them to grow and thrive. What I liked about the way Maia explained her project is that the graphics she drew helped to thoroughly explain each stage of their development and the effects it can lead to. One of these effects was that if the worms remain in the “L1 arrest” stage for too long, abnormalities can develop as they continue to adulthood. These abnormalities can consist of tumor growth and reproduction problems, especially affecting their gonad.

One solution that Maia’s lab is using to regulate the abnormalities in C.elegans is through the observance of the RNAi pathway, which stands for RNA interference. I hadn’t learned much about RNAi, so it was interesting to learn about its role and how this lab uses it in its project. RNAi is a mechanism used to regulate gene expression. While RNAi is used for cell regulation, in the world of research, it is used to specify and turn off genes, which Maia’s goal is to look out for because it can help with identifying the causes for the abnormalities caused by “L1 arrest” in C.elegans.

Overall, Maia’s presentation was thought-provoking and incredible, as I learned so much about C.elegans at a deeper level. She did an amazing job at breaking down the goal of her project, complemented by engaging graphics. Surprisingly, C.elegans have this fascinating survival mechanism of pausing their growth when low on nutrients, but it can result in a negative life afterward. Best of luck with your research in the coming weeks, Maia and I look forward to learning more during the final poster presentation!