Supervisor: Dr Steven Jones

Location: Genome Sciences Centre

Email: msleumer@bcgsc.ca

Department: Genetics Graduate Program

Research Project:

Errors in the control of gene expression can cause birth defects and disease. To better understand how human genes are controlled, gene regulation will be investigated in a model organism: the worm C. elegans. Using model organisms allows us to do detailed molecular research that we are unable to do with humans. For more information about C. elegans, please see my Fact Sheet.
C. elegans is used as a model organism because it has been shown to share gene regulation elements with humans. It is also an advantageous organism to use because its entire genome has been sequenced and all genes are known. Unlike in the human genome, the distance between genes in the C. elegans genome is very short; this reduces the amount of searching required.
The goal of this research is to decipher what turns genes on and off under different conditions and in different tissues. It is possible to do this using bioinformatic methods because expression data is available to indicate which genes are being expressed in which tissues and at what stage in development.
Gene expression is controlled by regions of the DNA near genes where proteins bind and cause the gene to be activated or inactivated. These regions are called regulatory elements. Very few regulatory elements have been identified in the human genome or any other genome, and finding them through laboratory methods is a long and expensive task.
Genes expressed at the same time are likely to contain the same regulatory elements in their upstream regions. In addition, sets of orthologues (genes from different species that are highly similar and have the same function) are likely to contain the same regulatory elements. Programs are available that can search through sets of sequences for motifs in the sequence that occur more often than expected.
Ultimately, the knowledge acquired by looking at the C. elegans genome will be used to gain new understanding of the much more complex human genome. A better understanding of gene regulation can ultimately lead to treatments for diseases such as cancer.

Funding: