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| research [2016/06/01 11:33] – [Electrotaxis] admin | research [2017/02/11 17:20] – [Research Overview] admin |
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| How organisms develop from a single fertilized embryo and how they interact with the environment are major focus of research in Biology. Understanding these questions requires identification of key genes, their expression patterns, and functional crosstalks. Since many of these genes are also linked to diseases such as cancers and neuronal degeneration, a detailed knowledge of the regulatory networks of gene interactions and function will ultimately help find treatments for major illnesses thereby improving human health.\\ | How cells form tissues? How do they communicate with each other and respond to environmental signals? How cell-cell interactions give rise to complex animal behavior? Finding answers to these major questions requires identification of key genes and understanding their expression and functional crosstalk. Since such genes are also linked to diseases such as cancers and neuronal degeneration, a detailed knowledge of the regulatory networks of gene interactions and function will ultimately help develop treatments for major illnesses thereby improving human health.\\ |
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| Toward this goal we are investigating three conserved biological processes, namely, cell signaling, cell proliferation and differentiation, in two well-established model organisms (nematodes or worms), //C. elegans// and //C. briggsae//. These two species offer many experimental advantages including rapid development (~3 days from egg to adult), transparency, small (~1 mm), hermaphroditic life style, and compact genome (~100 megabases). Approximately two-thirds of the genes in worms have human homologs and many of the gene function and cellular and molecular processes are conserved all the way to human.\\ | My group is investigating three fundamental biological processes, namely, cell signaling, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation, in two established animal models, //C. elegans// and //C. briggsae//. These two nematode species (or worms) offer many experimental advantages including rapid development (~3 days from egg to adult), transparency, small (~1 mm), hermaphroditic life style, and compact genome (~100 megabases). Approximately two-thirds of the genes in worms have human homologs and many of the gene function and cellular and molecular processes are conserved all the way to human.\\ |
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| Specific research topics in our lab include:\\ | Major areas of research in our lab focus on:\\ |
| * Signaling pathway function and crosstalks | |
| * Tissue morphogenesis | * Tissue morphogenesis |
| * Transcriptional regulation | |
| * Cancer genetics | * Cancer genetics |
| * //C. briggsae// linkage maps (read [[http://www.briggsae.org/|here]]) | * Comparative and evolutionary genetics (read [[http://www.briggsae.org/|here]]) |
| * Functional genomics in //Caenorhabditis// nematodes | * Neurobiology and behavior (read more about it [[http://www.macwormlab.net/labchip/|here]]) |
| * Neurobiology and drug discovery (read more about it [[http://www.macwormlab.net/labchip/|here]]) | * Signaling pathway function, crosstalk, and transcriptional regulation |
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| ===== Electrotaxis ===== | ===== Electrotaxis ===== |
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| {{ :images:electrotaxis.gif?400|}}Our lab is also investigating the electrotaxis phenomenon in nematodes, its applications, and neuronal basis of such a behavior.\\ | {{ :images:electrotaxis.gif?400|}}Our lab is also investigating the electrotaxis phenomenon in nematodes, the neuronal basis of this behavior, and its applications.\\ |
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| **Electrotaxis is the movement of organisms in response to an electric field stimulus.** In collaboration with Ravi Selvaganapathy (Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University) <color blue>we provided the first evidence of electrotaxis response in //C. elegans// in a microfluidic channel environment (Rezai et al., Lab Chip 2010). We showed that a DC electric field stimulus induces the worm to swim towards cathode with a characteristic speed that is robust, instantaneous and highly sensitive.</color> Subsequently, we demonstrated that dopamine (DA) neurons play important role in mediating the electrotaxis behavior. The involvement of DA signalling has allowed us to model Parkinson's disease in //C. elegans//, in order to understand the mechanism of neurodegeneration and to identify neuorprotective chemicals. | **Electrotaxis is the movement of organisms in response to an electric field stimulus.** In collaboration with Ravi Selvaganapathy (Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University) <color blue>we provided the first evidence of electrotaxis in //C. elegans// in a microfluidic channel environment (Rezai et al., Lab Chip 2010). We showed that low voltage DC electric field induces worms to swim towards cathode with a characteristic speed. This response is robust, instantaneous and highly sensitive.</color> Subsequently, we demonstrated that dopamine (DA) neurons play important role in mediating the electrotaxis behavior. The involvement of DA signalling provides a basis to model Parkinson's disease in //C. elegans//, and to investigate the mechanism of neurodegeneration and to identify neuorprotective chemicals. |