The goal of the Molecular Physiology and Toxicology Laboratory (MPTL) is to reduce the impact arthropod pests have on public health, animal health, and agriculture.
Physiology and Toxicology of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors
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G-Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) are ubiquitously expressed in arthropod tissues and participate in several physiological processes. Activation of these receptors stimulate cellular signal transduction pathways that alter tissue function and/or behavior. The MPTL investigates the physiological relevance of GPCRs and GPCR-related pathways as potential insecticide targets. Approaches used to study GPCRs and related pathways include biochemical assays, electrophysiology, gene drive and genome editing technology, and heterologous expression. |
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Insecticide and Acaricide Resistance
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Widespread use and over reliance on pesticides has resulted in arthropods developing mechanisms of resistance. The MPTL seeks to identify and understand how target site mutations affect the physiology, pharmacology, and toxicology of affected proteins/ enzymes. Research includes understanding the physiological adaptations that allows for success of resistant populations. In addition to target-site mutations, we investigate expression and/or biochemical changes of target proteins/enzymes. Resistance studies are performed in arthropods that affect urban environments, agricultural pests, but also mosquitoes and ticks that affect public and/or animal health, along with model organisms.
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Arbovirus and Host Interaction: Neurotropism
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Mosquito–virus interactions initiate when a mosquito acquires an infectious blood meal from a vertebrate host. Subsequently, the virus replicates within the mosquito's midgut and disseminates to secondary tissues, including the salivary glands. Transmission to a new host occurs during a subsequent blood meal, when the mosquito injects saliva containing infectious virions into the host’s bloodstream. Of particular interest is the neurotropism demonstrated by certain arboviruses—the capacity to infect and replicate within neuronal tissues in both the mosquito vector and vertebrate host. In mosquitoes, neural infection may influence behavior, potentially modifying biting frequency or host preference, and thus impacting vector competence and viral transmission dynamics. In vertebrate hosts, neurotropic arboviruses can invade the central nervous system, resulting in neuropathology and associated clinical symptoms. My research focuses on how the virus affects the mosquito's nervous system and electrical firing patterns. In collaboration with Dr. Tim Jarome from the College of Animal Science, we investigate the implications of mammalian neurotropism, including potential links to mental health disorders.
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Tick-host Interactions
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Tick saliva is known to contain a variety of pharmacologically active components that are involved in modulating the host’s immune response, but are also involved in salivary-assisted transmission of tick pathogens. We focus on the ability of ticks to modulate the non-neuronal cholinergic system of their host allowing ticks to feed for long periods of time undetected. Additionally, we are interested in understanding the mechanisms that are involved in the development of red meat allergies associated with tick bites.
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