Determining which cells actively produce UBC-6 and UBC-7 within C. elegans

A number of neurodegenerative diseases involve the accumulation of misfolded proteins into various forms of aggregation. These protein aggregates play a key role in the pathogenesis of diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. We know that the Endoplasmic Reticulum, an organelle located inside the cell, is responsible for managing the production and destruction of certain proteins, however the exact mechanism of this regulation process is not fully understood. Ubiquitin ligases are types of proteins that chemically mark misfolded proteins to be destroyed to avoid protein build up. Our lab studies the role of Ubiquitin ligases in the process of protein degradation in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, microscopic worms. Specifically, our work focuses on Ubiquitin ligase UBC-6 and UBC-7 and determining which cells actively produce these proteins.