Worm gene name:  pdr-1 (Parkinson's Disease Related)
Worm sequence name:  K08E3.7
Related human gene:  human parkin (PARK2)
Associated human disease:  Parkinson disease
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Left primer sequence:  atcg
Right primer sequence:  atcg
Size of PCR product:  1161
Brief description:  Parkinson's disease is a degenerating disease that affects the central nervous system. People affected by this disorder suffer from degeneration of motor skills, speech impairment and movement disorders. PARKIN is involved in protein degration where it functions as a ubiquitin-protein ligase. The PARK2 mutated gene shows autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism. Previous studies showed strong GFP::PDR-1 expression in muscle cells and most neurons, as well as in most other cells of C. elegans (details in Wormbase Expr3755).
Our group was provided with RNAi sensitive mutants rrf-3. We selected these L4 worms and introduced them to RNAi feeding strain containing K08E3.7. The development and phenotype of these L4 worms were observed over a week. The L4 worms developed into adult C. elegans which showed the following phenotypes. The worms' movement did not follow the typical sinusoidal manner. The organisms moved back and forth within a short distance. These worms exhibited subtle twitching on their bodies, similar to Parkinson sufferers. For future studies, these transformed worms could be maintained till the next generation to study if this observed phenotype could be sustained.
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