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Abstract
The regulation of sex determination in Caenorhabditis elegans involves a complex set of genetic interactions. In this study, the fem-2 gene was cloned based on its molecular position in the C. elegans genome. A genomic clone from this region was used to screen a cDNA library. The cDNA clones were sequenced and aligned with the genomic sequence to determine intron/exon boundaries and the largest open reading frame. This sequence correlates with a single transcript of 1.8 kb. A database search determined that the FEM-2 predicted protein shows sequence similarity to a number of mammalian and yeast protein phosphatases, and suggested that FEM-2 protein may have phosphatase activity. Several additional experiments allowed me to continue both a genetic and a molecular analysis of fem-2. This research project has provided crucial information about the fem-2 gene product and its role in sex determination.
