By Stephanie Bailey

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Theresa Grana

Abstract

Genome sequencing has significantly advanced our understanding of biological pathways across organisms, with Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) serving as a widely used model due to its short generation time and well-characterized genetics. In undergraduate genetics labs, students often use RNA interference (RNAi) to explore gene function in C. elegans, but phenotypic recognition after RNAi treatment can present challenges for learners, especially under standard microscopy. To improve student experience and learning outcomes, we shared magnified images to illustrate phenotypes similar to what we expect the students to see. To further optimize the laboratory experience, we implemented a bleaching protocol to reduce mold contamination to ensure the feeding RNAi bacteria was the only source of food. Finally, to address the limitations of the current lab strains (rol-6 and bli-1), we investigated alternative RNAi targets—skn-1 and nhr-23—previously used in educational settings at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. We conducted a comparative analysis between these targets in both N2 (wild-type) and NL2099 (RNAi hypersensitive) strains. Preliminary results suggest that the use of RNAi hypersensitive strains, distinct phenotypic targets, and plate-cleaning protocols improves identification accuracy and reduces observational uncertainty.