The goal of the proposed research is to develop one or more C. elegans genetic models for intestine and kidney transporter defects. We have identified eight nematode homologues of transporters directly implicated in digestive and renal disease or otherwise thought to be important in the functions of these organs. In this project, we propose to characterize the expression patterns of the nematode proteins and determine the properties of animals defective in their functions. Based on this information, stable loss of function mutations will be sought for those genes judged to be the most promising candidates for transporter disease models.
