Scientists Reveal an Unexpected Gene in Transparent Worms; Homolog of Human Nucleolin Found in C. elegans Opens New Window on Diseases Such As ALS and Alzheimer’s; Findings Impact Fields of Phase Separation and Nucleolus Analysis

In new peer-reviewed research published November 3, 2022 in Nature Communications, Emily Spaulding, PhD, and Dustin Updike, PhD, reveal the homolog of a well-known human protein, nucleolin, to be present in the tiny, transparent roundworm, C. elegans. The open-access journal article is titled “RG/RGG Repeats in the C. elegans Homologs of Nucleolin and GAR1 Contribute to Sub-Nucleolar Phase Separation.” Nucleolin is linked to human neurodegenerative disease and cancer-- but the new finding challenges recent theories of the role structures inside the nucleus may play in such disorders--and surfaces a powerful new tool for researching the function of nucleolin and how it does contribute to disease.