General Biology Seminar
Kerckhoff 119
From the Cambrian to the sushi bar: TRPA1 and the evolution of thermal and chemical detection
Paul Garrity,
Associate Professor of Biology,
Shapiro Science Center ,
Brandeis University,
We study thermosensory and chemosensory behavior, particularly the molecular and cellular detectors that perceive this sensory information. TRPA1, a Transient Receptor Potential family cation channel, serves as a detector of both warmth and noxious reactive chemicals in flies and is a key mediator of pain and inflammation in humans. We are focusing on the mechanisms by which TRPA1 acts as a sensory detector and on understanding how its properties have evolved to support critical sensory functions in organisms from fruit flies to insect disease vectors to humans.
For more information, please contact Julia Boucher by phone at 4952 or by email at [email protected].
Event Series
General Biology Seminar Series