Casey Gailey
Longwood College
David Miller lab
I will be investigating the molecular pathways that guide neuronal remodeling during larval development in c. elegans. C. elegans are especially useful for studying neuronal remodeling and plasticity because some neurons undergo dramatic remodeling during larval stages, such as our focus on Dorsal D GABAergic motor neurons which originally form presynaptic connections with ventral muscles and then completely destroy and remodel these presynaptic domains dorsally at a specific larval stage. We can also easily genetically label, knockout, RNAi, and live image c. elegans to visualize this development in vivo. I will be looking at various transcription factors, membrane-associated proteins and more to identify what proteins and genetic factors govern this developmental pathway.