Affiliations
Postdoctoral Fellow, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Education
Ph.D., Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University
Laboratory Of
Dr. Guillaume de Lartigue
Research Summary
Our sensory nervous system is capable of sensing a variety of stimuli originating from the environment and from within the body itself including temperature, pressure, touch, and chemicals. I am interested in understanding the molecular sensors, or receptors, that detect this array of stimuli and the many ways in which these sensory receptors impact our physiology. Specifically, I am studying transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel receptors expressed in the vagus nerve, with the goal of discovering how TRP channel activity influences gastrointestinal physiology and feeding behaviors.
My current research in the de Lartigue lab is aimed at tackling outstanding questions about vagal TRP channels, specifically the “wasabi receptor” TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1). What are the physiologically relevant stimuli sensed by vagal TRPA1 and what impact does activating TRPA1-postive neurons have on gastrointestinal function and feeding behavior? To answer these questions, we utilize in vivo imaging, recording, and targeted manipulation of neuronal subsets expressing TRPA1, combined with analysis of feeding behaviors and gastric and metabolic phenotypes. This work will illuminate how TRP channels contribute to interoception and sensory nutrition and will provide insights into GI pathologies associated with abnormal TRPA1 function in disease conditions.
Keywords
gut chemosensation, ion channels, receptors, vagus nerve, nodose ganglia, calcium imaging, sensory nutrition, neurophysiology
Representative Publications
A.P. Bali, S. Schaefer, I. Trier, A. Zhang, L. Kabeche, and C. Paulsen, (2023). Molecular mechanism of hyperactivation conferred by a truncation of TRPA1. Nat Commun 14, 2867.
A.P. Bali, I. Sahu, A. Craig, E. Clark, K. Burridge, M Dolan, C.D. Smith, D. Konkolewicz, and G. Lorigan, (2019). “Structural Characterization of styrene-maleic acid copolymer-lipid nanoparticles (SMALPs) using EPR spectroscopy”, Chem Phys Lipids 220: 6-13.
