Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Jia, Kailiang
Abstract
Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway present in eukaryotes that allows a cell to break down cytoplasmic proteins and organelles to maintain homeostasis. The autophagy pathway has been shown to play a significant role in the immune systems protective response against various bacterial pathogen infections, such as the intestinal pathogen Salmonella typhimurium, in Caenorhabditis elegans and in mammals. This study investigated if the autophagy pathway acts in a tissue-specific manner to protect against S. typhimurium infection in C. elegans. Wild type C. elegans and worms where the autophagy gene bec-1 was inhibited in different tissues by RNAi treatment were infected by S. typhimurium and their survival measured. My data showed that the autophagy gene bec-1 only protected C. elegans against S. typhimurium infection in the intestinal tissues, suggesting that the autophagy pathway acts in a tissue specific manner to help protect against Salmonella invasions in C. elegans.
Extent
47 p.
Recommended Citation
Curt, Alexander L., "Intestinal autophagy activity protects against Salmonella typhimurium infection in Caenorhabditis elegans" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 560.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/560
Identifier
FA00004244
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012.|Includes bibliography.