Our Science.
Uncovering cellular and molecular mechanisms that enable nervous systems to respond to stress
Diagram of heat induced seizure-susceptibility assay. Vials of flies are placed in a high temperature water bath. Schematic by Kayla Bortlik ‘27.
In another project, we are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which the nervous system modulates the impact of heat on developmental time. It is well known that fruit flies and other cold-blooded animals raised at different temperatures take different amounts of time to reach adulthood. Insects are crucial for agriculture and can be vectors for human disease. Understanding the impact of heat on developmental time of cold-blooded animals is especially relevant to predicting and potentially intervening in the context of climate change. We are thus taking advantage of genetic, neurophysiological and behavioral assays established in fruit flies to uncover mechanisms by which neuronal activity and hormone release are impacted by temperature.
Daniel Ruiz ‘23
We are currently working on an National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project to understand how ion channels and transporters found in glial cells regulate neuronal activity and animal behavior, especially in the context of environmental stresses, such as fluctuating temperature. To do this, we selectively manipulate gene expression in specific glial subtypes, and use seizure-susceptibility assays to assess nervous system function. We also use transgenic fly lines, immunostaining and confocal microscopy to look at protein expression and localization in the nervous system.
The variety and ease of genetic tools available to manipulate the genes of Drosophila melanogaster make it a great model organism. In addition to other genetic techniques, we use CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to create GFP tagged proteins that allow us to assess subcellular localization.
Expression pattern of CRISPR-generated GFP tagged voltage-gated potassium channel seizure in the larval ventral nerve cord (Hill et al., 2019)
We have started looking at the origination of nervous system controlled movements during embryogenesis. We can manipulate specific genes, and then use a microscope to record and analyze embryo movement at different stages of development!