# overview
I am interested in understanding how behavioral states are regulated at the molecular and genetic level. My lab addresses this complex question in the well-studied nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Several physical aspects of this worm make it convenient for integrating whole organism system biology studies with genetic/molecular analysis of neurobiology and behavior. C. elegans is an anatomically simple organism; it is 1mm in size, and it contains ~ 1000 somatic cells, a third of which are neurons. The worm is also transparent, and thus every cell can be visualized by light microscopy. Behavioral mutants can be efficiently generated through standard chemical mutagenesis. In addition, gene functions involved in motivational and behavioral regulation can be determined by transgenic techniques.

My lab investigates the interplay between feeding and sex-specific mating behavior to understand how chemo/mechano-sensory and motor outputs are controlled under various physiological conditions. We study male mating by using genetics to de-construct this behavior into its fundamental sensory-motor components. We then use a combination of transgenics, pharmacology, classical genetics and laser microsurgery to understand how individual motor sub-behaviors are coordinated to produce gross behaviors during periods when the animal is food deprived, and when it is food satiated.

# keywords[]
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel

# keywords[]
Gtp-binding Protein Alpha Subunits, Gq-g11

# keywords[]
c. Elegans

# keywords[]
Gtp-binding Protein Alpha Subunits, Gq-g11

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
The University of Texas at Austin - (Austin, Texas, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
The University of Texas at Austin - (Austin, Texas, United States)

# publications[].label
C. elegans dopaminergic D2-like receptors delimit recurrent cholinergic-mediated motor programs during a goal-oriented behavior.

# publications[].label
CRF-like receptor SEB-3 in sex-common interneurons potentiates stress handling and reproductive drive in C. elegans.

# publications[].label
Sensory perception of food and insulin-like signals influence seizure susceptibility.

# publications[].label
Hsp72 (HSPA1A) Prevents Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Aggregation and Toxicity: A New Approach for Type 2 Diabetes Treatment.

# publications[].label
DOP-2 D2-Like Receptor Regulates UNC-7 Innexins to Attenuate Recurrent Sensory Motor Neurons during C. elegans Copulation.

# publications[].label
Caenorhabditis elegans Male Copulation Circuitry Incorporates Sex-Shared Defecation Components To Promote Intromission and Sperm Transfer.

# publications[].label
Stearoyl-CoA desaturases sustain cholinergic excitation and copulatory robustness in metabolically aging C.elegansmales.

# publications[].label
A Neurotransmitter Atlas of the Caenorhabditis elegans Male Nervous System Reveals Sexually Dimorphic Neurotransmitter Usage.

# publications[].label
G alpha(q)-coupled muscarinic acetylcholine receptors enhance nicotinic acetylcholine receptor signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans mating behavior.

# publications[].label
Live imaging of inorganic phosphate in plants with cellular and subcellular resolution.

# publications[].label
Neural circuits for sexually dimorphic and sexually divergent behaviors in Caenorhabditis elegans.

# publications[].label
Behavioral decay in aging male C. elegans correlates with increased cell excitability.

# publications[].label
Microbiota-derived metabolites in regulating the development and physiology of Caenorhabditis elegans.

# publications[].label
Cell excitability necessary for male mating behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans is coordinated by interactions between big current and ether-a-go-go family K(+) channels.

# publications[].label
Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-103 ERG-like potassium channel regulates contractile behaviors of sex muscles in males before and during mating.

# publications[].label
Diversity in mating behavior of hermaphroditic and male-female Caenorhabditis nematodes.

# publications[].label
Regulation of sensory motor circuits used in C. elegans male intromission behavior.

# publications[].label
Regulation of distinct muscle behaviors controls the C. elegans male's copulatory spicules during mating.

# publications[].label
TMC-1 attenuates C. elegans development and sexual behaviour in a chemically defined food environment.

# publications[].label
WNT regulates programmed muscle remodeling through PLC- and calcineurin in Caenorhabditis elegans males.

# publications[].label
The effects of transient starvation persist through direct interactions between CaMKII and ether-a-go-go K+ channels in C. elegans males.

# publications[].label
Rate of translocation of bacteriophage T7 DNA across the membranes of Escherichia coli.

# publications[].label
Quorum quenching quandary: resistance to antivirulence compounds.

# publications[].label
Caenorhabditis elegans male sensory-motor neurons and dopaminergic support cells couple ejaculation and post-ejaculatory behaviors.

# publications[].label
Spatial Profiles of Phosphate in Roots Indicate Developmental Control of Uptake, Recycling, and Sequestration.

# publications[].label
Behavioral genetics of caenorhabditis elegans unc-103-encoded erg-like K(+) channel.

# publications[].label
Spillover transmission is mediated by the excitatory GABA receptor LGC-35 in C. elegans.

# publications[].label
A cellular and regulatory map of the cholinergic nervous system of C. elegans.

# publications[].label
Quantitative Imaging of FRET-Based Biosensors for Cell- and Organelle-Specific Analyses in Plants.

# publications[].label
SIR-2.1 integrates metabolic homeostasis with the reproductive neuromuscular excitability in early aging male Caenorhabditis elegans.

# publications[].label
Incomplete entry of bacteriophage T7 DNA into F plasmid-containing Escherichia coli.

# publications[].label
Changes in bacteriophage T7 virion structure at the initiation of infection.

# publications[].label
Translocation and specific cleavage of bacteriophage T7 DNA in vivo by EcoKI.

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
Integration of male mating and feeding behaviors in Caenorhabditis elegans.

# publications[].label
Intracellular transport and compartmentation of phosphate in plants.

# publications[].label
Modulation of EGF receptor-mediated vulva development by the heterotrimeric G-protein Galphaq and excitable cells in C. elegans.

# publications[].label
Imaging Cellular Inorganic Phosphate in Caenorhabditis elegans Using a Genetically Encoded FRET-Based Biosensor.

# publications[].label
Food deprivation attenuates seizures through CaMKII and EAG K+ channels.

# publications[].label
A cholinergic-regulated circuit coordinates the maintenance and bi-stable states of a sensory-motor behavior during Caenorhabditis elegans male copulation.

# publications[].label
Developmental alterations of the C. elegans male anal depressor morphology and function require sex-specific cell autonomous and cell non-autonomous interactions.

# publications[].label
Sexual Dimorphism and Sex Differences in Caenorhabditis elegans Neuronal Development and Behavior.

# publications[].label
Molecular signaling involved in regulating feeding and other motivated behaviors.

# streetAddress
Texas A&M University; Biology; 3258 TAMU

# etdChairOf[].label
Liu, Yishi (2012-07). A Cholinergic Sensory-Motor Circuit Controls the Male Copulation Behavior in C. elegans. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Midkiff, James (2012-12). Artificial Stimulation of Cephalic Cholinergic Sensory Neurons Induces Mating-Like Motor Responses in Male Caenorhabditis elegans. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Guo, Xiaoyan (2014-08). Mechanisms of Mating-Behavior Deterioration in Early Aging Male C. elegans. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Banerjee, Swayoma (2017-07). Live Cell Imaging of Inorganic Phosphate Distribution in Multicellular Organisms Using a FRET Based Biosensor. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Leboeuf, Brigitte L. (2010-07). Circuits attenuating seizures under well-fed and food-deprived conditions in C. elegans male sex muscles. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Correa Nunez, Paola A. (2015-12). Dopamine Signaling Attenuates a Recurrent Neuronal Network during C. elegans Copulation. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Gruninger, Todd Ryan (2009-05). The neuromolecular mechanisms that coordinate food availability with C. elegans male sexual behavior. Doctoral Dissertation.