Presentation Details
| Genes and Senses: Genetic Regulation of Chemosensation Kevin Monahan1, Hojoon Lee2. 1Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.2Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA |
Abstract
This symposium will focus on how gene regulation in chemosensory neurons modifies and shapes the perception of chemical stimuli. We highlight work at each level of perception, moving inward from the first detection of chemical compounds to central pathways that modulate the response to chemical stimuli. At the most peripheral level, perception is dictated by the expression of chemoreceptor proteins, and Thirada Boonrawd from Hojoon Lee’s lab will share new findings on the expression of Tas2r bitter receptor genes by ‘bitter’ sensing cells in the mouse tongues. Beyond simply detecting chemical compounds, chemosensory neurons respond to changes in the chemical environment by modifying their activity and excitability. Joshua Danoff from Kevin Monahan’s lab will describe new findings about how sustained neuronal activity modifies chromatin structure and gene regulation in mouse olfactory sensory neurons. Within the central nervous system, the response to chemical stimuli is modified by the state of the organism. Eirene Markenscoff-Papadimitriou will report new findings from her lab that describe how hunger status influences sensory perception by modifying gene expression and chromatin structure in rostral NTS neurons in the mouse brainstem, which acts as the first relay station from taste neurons coming in from the tongue. Finally, Monica Dus will relate new findings that explain how diet influences sensory adaptations in D. melanogaster gustatory neurons
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.