Biology Seminar 4/26 @ 12pm: Dr. Ivan Rodriguez

The sick sense is in the nose

Ivan Rodriguez, PhD (University of Geneva)

Sociability offers many advantages, although a major drawback is the increased risk of exposure to contagious pathogens, like parasites, viruses, or bacteria. Social species have evolved various behavioral strategies reducing the probability of pathogen exposure. We found that in rodents, preference toward healthy individuals was dependent on the olfactory system, more precisely on vomeronasal function. We discovered a novel family of vomeronasal sensors, termed formyl-peptide receptors, that respond to disease-related ligands. This receptor family, initially expressed in immune cells during evolution, acquired neuronal specificity in the rodent lineage via two gene shuffling events. This thus corresponds to a switch from sensing pathogens inside the organism to sensing the outside world through the nose, and represents a striking case of neofunctionalization.

To attend, email: el1417 at hunter dot cuny dot edu

Congratulations to Dr. Rebecca Ravenelle!

This week, Becky defended her dissertation, “Circuits Underlying Serotonin Mediated Sex Differences in Fear Learning”, with lots of beautiful data, thoughtful experiments, and super interesting findings! Congratulations Becky for a job incredibly well done, and here is to putting everything into a paper!

Very happy to have Central Park nearby to celebrate with the lab, and Nesha Burghardt, Becky’s primary mentor on the project.

Very happy to have Central Park nearby to celebrate with the lab, and Nesha Burghardt, Becky’s primary mentor on the project.

Congratulations to Itamar on winning the Mina Reese Dissertation Fellowship!

Huge congratulations going out to Itamar on his successful Dissertation Fellowship application!

Itamar has been doing some beautiful analyses of behavioral and neural changes after chronic stress. Lots of pretty images and new circuit findings coming soon from that work. Congratulations!

Itamar in behavior & physiology experiment mode

Itamar in behavior & physiology experiment mode

Itamar in workshop mode

Itamar in workshop mode