Huntington’s Disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease that often is fatal within 10 years after symptoms emerge. There is no known cure as of now, but the cause has been determined. A mutant HTT gene results in a “CAG repeat” that leads to the disease. While not much is known about the gene, there have been theorized solutions to remove it in order to get rid of the disease. In this project we aim to provide a start for the eventual experimental removal of the mutant HTT gene. We obtained C. Elegans to use as our study organism as they have a complex nervous system similar to humans and they are frequently used in transgenic disease studies. We created a behavioral assay for the nematodes in order to quantify behavior and phenotype as we obtained both wild type and mutant C. Elegans, the latter with a human mutant HTT gene. To analyze the genotype, we successfully amplified fragments using a Polymerase Chain Reaction. Overall, this provides for an adequate start for eventually removing the mutant HTT gene to see if the organism is able to become healthy.

Full Poster: Huntington’s Disease and C. elegans

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