The study of epigenetics explores the idea of how one’s behavior is due to their DNA or the way they are raised. We developed a paradigm to test behavioral epigenetics in the microscopic nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans serve as a great genetic model organism because they have a short life cycle, roughly 1000 cells and a third of those being neurons. We hypothesized that pre-exposure to a biogenic aversive cue produced aversive stimuli, octopamine-succinylated ascaroside #9 (osas#9), would result in a decreased sensation to the chemical across multiple generations. Our results show that pre-exposure to osas#9 results in decreased aversive response that is observed across three filial generations. However, the procedure was repeated with a nonnative aversive stimulus, glycerol, and showed that there was no memory in the parental or any of the three filial generations. Our data suggests that C. elegans have an epigenetic memory to biologically-produced stimuli, but not non-native aversive stimuli, across multiple generations and exemplifies how nurture can later affect nature.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• McGlame, Emily
• Garver, Isabella

Contributors

• Caenorhabditis Genetics Center

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042518-150532

Advisor

• Srinivasan, Jagan

Year

• 2018

Date created

• 2018-04-25

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright