Minseo Kim
NUMR-1, a Novel UV-inducible Nuclear Protein in C. elegans
Nuclear body formation contributes to cellular homeostasis under stress conditions by regulating nuclear processes like DNA repair and stress signaling. Previous studies have identified NUMR-1/-2 as a protein required for subnuclear organelle formation in response to nucleolar stress as well as for pathways for metal-induced stress resistance. However, the protein’s role in UV-induced stress response mechanisms has not been studied for C. elegans. At the Ma lab, I have previously found NUMR-1/-2 expression to strikingly increase by 24 hours after UV. This summer, I aim to further explore NUMR-1/-2’s role in UV response by observing how a numr-1 deletion strain will respond differentially to UV by observing behaviors like locomotion, DNA/RNA fragmentation, and survival in comparison to wildtype worms.
Message To Sponsor
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have this experience in conducting research over the summer. I have truly learned so much in problem-solving and having leadership when conducting an independent research project, and I believe these experiences will significantly impact my future in the medical field.