Kavinila Selvarasu

Abstract Both plasticity and robustness are pervasive features of developmental programs. The dauer in Caenorhabditis elegans is an arrested, hypometabolic alternative to the third larval stage of the nematode.

Abstract Both plasticity and robustness are pervasive features of developmental programs. The dauer in Caenorhabditis elegans is an arrested, hypometabolic alternative to the third larval stage of the nematode that undergoes dramatic tissue remodeling and gene expression changes compared to conspecifics that continue development.

Abstract PVD neuron of C. elegans has become an attractive model for the study of dendrite development and regeneration due to the elaborate and stereotype dendrite morphology in this neuron. The molecular basis for dendrite maintenance and regeneration is poorly understood. RNA interference (RNAi) by feeding E. coli expressing dsRNA has been the basis of several genome wide screens performed using C. elegans. However, the feeding method often fails when it comes to nervous system.