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Abstract
The complex network of dendritic branches plays a vital role within neurons, and their regulation is critical for nervous system function. Due to the role of the neuron in the neural network, several neurological disorders have been linked to aberrant branching patterns in dendrites. This connection necessitates the investigation into the mechanisms by which dendrites form their arbors. Because of their role in posttranscriptional regulation, RNA-binding proteins emerge as likely candidates for the regulation of dendrite morphogenesis. In a previous screen of different RNA-binding proteins, Nanos was identified as important for dendrite morphogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. To provide a cross species comparison, homologs of Drosophila nanos in Caenorhabditis elegans were deleted and investigated. C. elegans has three paralogs of nanos: nos-1, nos-2, and nos-3. All three of these paralogs are linked on the same chromosome. Single mutants of all three paralogs and a double mutant with nos-1 and nos-2 knocked out had already been generated, but no triple mutant had ever been constructed. Therefore, in order to reveal possible genetic redundancy of the three paralogs, CRISPR-Cas9 was used to delete nos-3 in a strain already containing nos-1; nos-2 deletions. Sequence data indicated that CRISPR had successfully deleted the intended segment of DNA. However, nos-1 single mutants, nos-2 single mutants, nos-3 single mutants, nos-1; nos-2 double mutants, and nos-1; nos-2; nos-3 triple mutants’ dendrite morphology did not show differences that led to a clear and obvious conclusion when compared to a control strain. We conclude that nanos does not play a significant role in dendrite morphogenesis in C. elegans.