Molecular Signaling Mechanisms of Touch, Pain, & Itch
Touch, pain, and itch are integral sensory modalities that inform, protect, and alert us to potential harm, allergens, irritants, and parasites. One of the SENse Lab's main goals is to investigate the minute mechanisms of somatosensory processing, previously in the star-nosed mole to identify novel candidates for mammalian touch and pain transducers. Despite the emerging understanding of how pain and itch are transmitted, the relationships between these sensations and other systems contain many mysteries still unanswered. The SENse Lab is currently focusing on the signaling molecules and predisposing factors that lead to pain and somatosensory pathogenesis.
Merkel Cells Activate Sensory Neural Pathways through Adrenergic Synapses: Video Abstract
Traditionally, nociceptive pain receptors are thought to be solely responsible for transducing external stimuli; however, new and accumulating evidence implicates epithelial skin cells, or epidermal cells, in sensory transduction. The objective of this project is to identify the mechanism by which epidermal cells communicate with skin-innervating sensory neurons in acute pain.
In addition to studying somatosensory signaling, another area of focus is the development of sensory systems in the context of evolution.
To understand how nervous systems have evolved to gather and use environmental cues to drive behavior, we are studying Mnemopsis leidyi, an ancient, evolutionarily-conserved organism of the phylum Ctenophora. M. leidyi is a planktonic, or free-floating, marine invertebrate capable of goal-directed behaviors like hunting and escaping. Additionally, M. leidyi can sense gravity and water pressure, and it has a balance organ - the statocyst - which is analogous to the otoliths in the inner ear of vertebrates. Using the comb jelly as a model organism for its simplistic neuronal net, the SENse Lab aims to understand the molecular and cellular basis for the perception of mechanical stimuli and how these impact the activity of the nerve net. This project will potentially shed light on how simple arrays of neurons convert environmental stimuli into behavior. |