Effect of SKN-1 on Stress Responses on Caenorhabditis elegans

SKN-1 (protein Skinhead-1) plays a central role in promoting C. elegans longevity. The human ortholog is Nrf/CNC protein. It is a regulator of stress response as well as a defense to foreign substances. In this experiment, we investigate whether SKN-1 functions similarly to Nrf/CNC proteins in resisting oxidative stress in C. elegans. Silencing the gene skn-1 using RNAi is expected to modify the response to oxidative stress. PCR primers were designed to amplify a portion of the skn-1 gene in C. elegans. The amplicon from the PCR experiment was used to create an RNAi feeding vector. To assay sensitivity to oxidative stress, two groups of young adults were subjected to oxidative stress. The control group was fed the usual bacterial feeding strain (OP50), whereas the experimental group was fed my RNAi feeding strain. Worms were scored using standard lifetime assay procedure