A5060722053- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Plant and animal studies
- Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Insect behavior and control techniques
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Carcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Glutathione Transferases and Polymorphisms
- Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Pharmacogenetics and Drug Metabolism
- Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development and cancer
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Axon Guidance and Neuronal Signaling
Duke University
2013-2024
Duke University Hospital
2014-2017
Duke Medical Center
2014-2017
Stanford University
1997-2013
University of California, San Francisco
2009-2013
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2008-2009
ETH Zurich
2008
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
1994
The ability to select a better option from multiple acceptable ones is important for animals optimize their resources. mechanisms that underlie such decision-making processes are not well understood. We found selection of egg-laying site in Drosophila melanogaster suitable system probe the neural circuit governs simple processes. First, females pursue active probing environment before depositing each egg, apparently evaluate quality every egg. Second, can either accept or reject...
The Drosophila eye is composed of dorsal and ventral mirror-image fields opposite chiral forms ommatidia. boundary between these known as the equator. We describe a novel gene, mirror (mrr), which expressed in half plays key role forming Ectopic equators can be generated by juxtaposing mrr expressing nonexpressing cells, path normal equator altered changing domain expression. These observations suggest that component defining dorsal-ventral tissue polarity eye. In addition, loss function...
Human cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) is inducible by ethanol and involved in metabolism of many known carcinogens including N-nitrosodimethylamine, butadiene, benzene, carbon tetrachloride. A 50-fold variability CYP2E1 enzyme activity humans has been observed but it unknown whether the basis for this variation genetic or environmental. Recently, two restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) within gene have suggested as markers risk cancer. The first was a Rsa I polymorphism 5'...
Selecting a suitable site to deposit their eggs is an important reproductive need of Drosophila females. Although choosiness toward egg-laying sites well documented, the specific neural mechanism that activates females' search for attractive not known. Here, we show distention and contraction internal tract triggered by egg delivery through plays critical role in activating such search. We found females start exhibit acetic acid (AA) attraction prior depositing each but no when they are...
Significance Discovering new light-sensing mechanisms and cell types are of considerable interest to researchers across disciplines. Understanding how cells sense light is one the most fundamental problems in biology. In addition, optogenetics has become a critical research tool discovery may expand existing toolbox. this work, we described our dTRPA1-dependent photochemical pathway that sufficient confer UV sensitivity light-insensitive cells. We also discovered group neuroendocrine express...
High-throughput analysis of animal behavior requires software to analyze videos. Such analyzes each frame individually, detecting animals' body parts. But the image rarely attempts recognize "behavioral states"-e.g., actions or facial expressions-directly from instead using detected Here, we show that convolutional neural networks (CNNs)-a machine learning approach recently became leading technique for object recognition, human pose estimation, and action recognition-were able directly...
Integration of stimuli different modalities is an important but incompletely understood process during decision making. Here, we show that Drosophila are capable integrating mechanosensory and chemosensory information choice options when deciding where to deposit their eggs. Specifically, females switch from preferring the softer option for egg-laying both sugar free being indifferent between them contain sucrose. Such sucrose-induced indifference hardness requires functional sweet neurons,...
Significance Sweet taste neurons in both Drosophila and mice are often thought to be hardwired promote appetitive responses signal the presence of reward. Here, exploiting females’ robust rejection sucrose substrates over plain ones during egg-laying one specific context, we discovered that sweet can divided into at least two anatomically functionally distinct groups confer positive negative values, respectively, options egg-laying. This discovery reveals design feature system allows...
Drosophila melanogaster egg-laying site selection offers a genetic model to study simple form of value-based decision. We have previously shown that females consistently reject sucrose-containing substrate and choose plain (sucrose-free) for egg laying in our sucrose versus decision assay. However, either is accepted when it the sole option. Here we describe neural mechanism underlies females' rejection First, demonstrate explored frequently before most events, suggesting they actively...
The evolutionarily conserved TRPA1 channel can sense various stimuli including temperatures and chemical irritants. Recent results have suggested that specific isoforms of Drosophila (dTRPA1) are UV-sensitive their UV sensitivity is due to H2O2 sensitivity. However, whether such served any physiological purposes in animal behavior was unclear. Here, we demonstrate H2O2-sensitive dTRPA1 promote avoidance when adult females selecting sites for egg-laying. First, show blind/visionless still...
Abstract The Drosophila eye is divided into dorsal and ventral mirror image fields that are separated by a sharp boundary known as the equator. We have previously demonstrated Mirror, homeodomain-containing putative transcription factor with dorsal-specific expression pattern in eye, induces formation of equator at between mirror-expressing non-expressing cells. Here, we provide evidence suggests regulates two mechanisms. First, defines location creating fringe mid-point eye. show creates...
Significance When making feeding decisions for themselves or their progenies, animals must accurately decode both the identity and quantity of relevant chemicals in potential food options. While much is known about how determine these chemicals, little they whether are quantity. Here, we discover a molecule that limits sensitivity Drosophila taste neurons: its absence causes flies to exhibit abnormally high interest very low levels sucrose acetic acid—2 nutritive stimuli can activate sweet...
The Drosophila Cadherin Fat (Ft) has been identified as a crucial regulator of tissue size and Planar Cell Polarity (PCP). However, the precise mechanism by which Ft regulates these processes remains unclear. In order to advance our understanding action Ft, we have sought identify effector domains. Here report that small region cytoplasmic domain (H2 region) is both necessary sufficient, when membrane localized, support viability prevent overgrowth. Interestingly, H2 dispensable for...
Recently, egg-laying preference of Drosophila has emerged as a genetically tractable model to study the neural basis simple decision-making processes. When selecting sites deposit their eggs, female flies are capable ranking relative attractiveness options and choosing "greater two goods." However, most assays not practical if one wants take systematic genetic screening approach search for circuit underlying this process, they population-based laborious set up. To increase throughput...
Abstract Animals display a plethora of escape behaviors when faced with environmental threats. Selection the appropriate response by underlying neuronal network is key to maximize chances survival. We uncovered somatosensory in Drosophila larvae that encodes two through input-specific neuropeptide action. Sensory neurons required for avoidance noxious light and harsh touch, each converge on discrete domains same neuromodulatory hub neurons. These gate touch responses via short Neuropeptide...
The ability to return memorized goal locations is essential for animal survival. While it well documented that animals use visual landmarks locate goals, how they navigate spatial learning tasks in environments lacking such remains poorly understood. Here, using a high-throughput task we developed investigate this question Drosophila, found Drosophila can simultaneously self-generated olfactory cues and self-motion learn under visually challenging conditions. Specifically, flies mark...
Abstract High-throughput analysis of animal behavior requires software to analyze videos. Such typically depends on the experiments’ being performed in good lighting conditions, but this ideal is difficult or impossible achieve for certain classes experiments. Here, we describe techniques that allow long-duration positional tracking conditions with strong shadows recurring “on”/“off” changes lighting. The latter condition will likely become increasingly common, e.g., Drosophila due advent...