Pheromone-Mediated Signaling in C. Elegans

所有的动物都使用化学信号相互交流。这些信号允许动物评估它们的环境，寻找食物，潜在的配偶，并逃离捕食者。了解动物如何识别和响应这些化学信号，对于更好地了解动物的发育和行为是至关重要的。我们正在研究一种实验动物--线虫的动物间的交流。线虫会释放一种复杂的化学混合物，作为其他蠕虫的拥挤信号。这个项目的目标是探索线虫是如何检测到这种拥挤的信号并做出反应的。具体地说，目标是识别神经细胞和其中存在的检测这些化学物质的蛋白质(受体)，并调查这些信息的检测如何改变这些动物的发育和行为。了解这一关键过程将为动物之间以及动物与环境之间的化学交流提供关键信息。该项目将为一篇博士论文和一到两篇本科生高级荣誉研究论文提供基础。研究生和本科生将接受遗传学、行为学、基因组学和分子生物学的实验和理论基础方面的培训，并将有机会在地方和国家论坛上展示他们的工作。这项工作还将促进生物学家、物理学家和生物化学家之间的互动。

All animals communicate with each other using chemical signals. These signals allow animals to assess their environment and to find food, potential mates, and escape from predators. Understanding how animals recognize and respond to these chemical cues is essential for a better understanding of animal development and behavior. We are studying animal-to-animal communication in a laboratory animal, the roundworm C. elegans. C. elegans emits a complex mixture of chemicals that acts as a crowding signal for other worms. The goal of this project is to explore how C. elegans detects and responds to this crowding signal. Specifically, the goal is to identify the nerve cells and the proteins present in them (receptors) that detect these chemicals, and to investigate how detection of this information alters the development and behavior of these animals. Understanding this critical process will provide key information on chemical communication among animals, as well as between animals and their environment. This project will provide the basis for a doctoral thesis and one to two undergraduate senior honors research theses. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained in the experimental and theoretical basis of genetics, behavioral studies, genomics and molecular biology, and will be provided the opportunity to present their work at local and national forums. This work will also foster interactions between biologists, physicists and biological chemists.