Effects of invertebrate neuropeptides and biogenic amines on synapses and behavior

神经细胞通过释放化学信号来改变目标细胞的电活动，从而相互交流。这些化学信号中的大多数是“肽”（氨基酸的短链），有些是“生物胺”，从氨基酸衍生的较小化合物。人类大脑中含有超过100种不同的肽，关于它们的功能仍然不清楚。我的实验室研究这些信号分子如何发挥作用以及它们如何引起行为。我们使用小龙虾和果蝇作为模型实验系统，因为它们含有的神经细胞比人类和大多数其他动物少，而且许多神经细胞可以很容易地从一个标本到另一个标本中识别出来。果蝇基因组完全测序，提供了一系列“分子工具”，使我们能够确定特定的基因和蛋白质如何允许肽和生物胺改变神经和肌肉细胞的活性。小龙虾具有体积较大的优势，为生化分析提供了更多的材料。我们使用这两个模型系统来确定特定信号分子改变神经元电特性、肌肉收缩以及最终行为的机制。

Nerve cells communicate with each other by releasing chemical signals that alter electrical activity in their target cells. Most of these chemical signals are “peptides” (short chains of amino acids), and some are “biogenic amines”, smaller compounds derived from amino acids. The human brain contains over 100 different peptides, and much about their functions is still not understood. My lab examines how these signaling molecules function and how they give rise to behaviour. We use crayfish and fruit flies as model experimental systems because they contain fewer nerve cells than humans and most other animals, and many of the nerve cells can be identified easily from one specimen to another. The fruit fly genome is fully sequenced, providing an array of “molecular tools” that allow us to determine how specific genes and proteins allow peptides and biogenic amines to alter the activity of nerve and muscle cells. Crayfish have the advantage of larger size, providing more material for biochemical analysis. We use these two model systems to determine the mechanisms through which specific signaling molecules alter the electrical properties of neurons, contraction of muscles and, ultimately, behaviour.