The biology of the model nematode Caenorbabditis elegans is probably understood in more detail than that of any other animal species. Furthermore, the recent success in cloning (very nearly) the entire genome and the on-going effort to sequence the genome increase the value of this system even further. A consequential deduction from studies of C elegans is that most fundamental aspects of the biology of this nematode are closely related, at the molecular level, to those operating in other animal species, including man. About half of the genes cloned from C elegans have been found to be homologous to previously known human genes. Other seemingly important C elegans genes have no known homologues. Many of these genes are likely to have undiscovered human homologues whose identification can have a substantial impact on studies of human disease. The goal is to develop tools for the systematic identification of human homologues of C elegans genes.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:The tools developed through this research will be used to identify genes:(1) that contribute to the pathophysiology of human disease,(2) whose gene products may be novel therapeutic agents, or(3) as novel targets for drug discovery efforts.National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
