Kandrie MyIroie, University of Utah
Human Genetics
In C. elegans, sperm activation is the process through which sperm become motile. Genes that regulate sperm motility are being identified through a genetic screen. In this screen, swm-1 mutants that have sperm that activate too early are mutagenized, and genes regulating sperm motility can be found when the sperm of mutant worms no longer activated too early. Two genes have already been identified, try-5 and snf-10, and these can help identify new mutations. By selecting specific strains with sperm activation defects, the mutations causing the defect can be characterized. To sort through the many mutants, complementation tests to identify them as a new gene, or a new allele of try-5, snf-10 are being done. Selectively crossing an unknown mutant strain to a strain with a known mutation in try-5 or snf-10 will help identify the unknown mutation. If the progeny of the cross have activated sperm then the two strains complement each other. In this case the alleles must be in different genes and the unknown mutation from that cross has not been identified. If the progeny instead has non-activated sperm then the mutations failed to complement and the unknown mutation is allelic to the mutation it was crossed with. One new allele of try-5 and of snf-10 has been found. It is suspected that the other strains contain alleles of new genes not previously identified. Further complementation tests will be done to test this theory.