Gordon, Michael - University of British Columbia

个人简介

Our brains are composed of billions of neurons, wired together in neural circuits that process information from the environment and produce behaviours. My lab is interested in the organization, function, and development of these circuits. We study this problem in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, an organism with a brain that is much simpler than ours (~100,000 neurons compared to our ~100 billion), but still capable of generating complex behaviours. The fly also offers a powerful array of molecular and genetic tools for identifying, manipulating, and measuring the activity of neural circuits. With a focus on the circuits underlying taste perception and feeding behaviour, we are interested in the following questions: How are sensory circuits organized? We use behavioural assays to identify new circuit neurons, and imaging of specialized molecular labels to understand how these neurons are connected together in the brain. How do neural circuits control behaviour? We use genetic techniques to manipulate neuron activity and measure the behavioural consequences. We also use functional live imaging to measure neural activity in an awake, behaving fly. How do neural circuits adapt? We use molecular genetics to manipulate gene function and determine how different molecules modulate circuit activity and fly behaviour. How do circuits develop? We use a combination of genetics and behaviour to uncover molecules regulating circuit assembly and understand their roles during development. Our hope is that answering these questions will reveal fundamental principles of neural circuit assembly and function, and important molecules that regulate feeding. Since many of the characteristics of fly circuits are likely to be conserved in mammals, this should give us insight into our own brain, and how it controls what (and how much) we eat. Awards 2015 Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar For Research 2012 CIHR New Investigator For Research

近期论文

查看导师新发文章（温馨提示：请注意重名现象，建议点开原文通过作者单位确认）

LeDue EE, Chen Y-C, Jung AY, Dahanukar A, Gordon MD. 2015. Pharyngeal sense organs drive robust sugar consumption in Drosophila. Nature Communications 6:6667 doi: 10.1038/ncomms7667 Chu B, Chui V, Mann K, Gordon MD. 2014. Presynaptic gain control drives sweet and bitter taste integration in Drosophila. Current Biology 24(17):1978-84 Pool A-H, Kvello P, Mann K, Gordon MD, Cheung SK, Scott K. 2014. Four GABAergic interneurons impose feeding restraint in Drosophila. Neuron 83(1):164-77 Mann K, Gordon MD, Scott K. 2013. A pair of interneurons influences the choice between feeding and locomotion in Drosophila. Neuron 79(4):754-765 Stafford JW, Lynd KM, Jung AY, Gordon MD. 2012. Integration of taste and calorie sensing in Drosophila. J Neurosci 32(42): 14767-74 McElwain MA, Ko DC, Gordon MD, Fryst H, Saba JD, Nusse R. 2011. A suppressor/enhancer screen in Drosophila reveals a role for Wnt-mediated lipid metabolism in primordial germ cell migration. PLoS One 6(11):e26993 Gordon MD, Scott K. 2009. Motor control in a Drosophila taste circuit. Neuron 61(3): 373-84 Yang CH, Rumpf S, Xiang Y, Gordon MD, Song W, Jan LY, Jan YN. 2009. Control of postmating response in Drosophila females by internal sensory neurons. Neuron 61(4): 519-26 Gordon MD, Ayres JS, Schneider DS, Nusse R. 2008. Pathogenesis of Listeria-infected Drosophila wntD mutants is associated with elevated levels of the novel immunity gene edin. PLoS Pathog 4(7): e1000111 Gordon MD, Manzo A, Scott K. 2008. Fly neurobiology: development and function of the brain. Embo Rep 9(3):239-42 Schneider DS, Ayers JS, Brandt SM, Costa A, Dionne MS, Gordon MD, Mayberry EM, Moule MG, Pham LN, Shirasu-Hiza MM. 2007. Drosophila eiger mutants are sensitive to extracellular pathogens. PLoS Pathog 3(3): e41 Gordon MD and Nusse R. 2006. Wnt signaling: multiple pathways, multiple receptors, and multiple transcription factors. J Biol Chem 281(32): 22429-33 Gordon MD, Dionne MS, Schneider DS, Nusse R. 2005. WntD is a feedback inhibitor of Dorsal/NF-κB in Drosophila development and immunity. Nature 437(7059): 746-9 Settle M, Gordon MD, Nadella M, Dankort D, Muller W, Jacobs JR. 2003. Genetic identification of effectors downstream of Neu (ErbB-2) autophosphorylation sites in a Drosophila model. Oncogene 22(13): 1916-26 Ko DC, Gordon MD, Jin JY, Scott MP. 2001. Dynamic movements of organelles containing Niemann-Pick C1 protein: NPC1 involvement in late endocytic events. Mol Biol Cell 12(3):601-14 Lanoue BR, Gordon MD, Battye R, Jacobs JR. 2000. Genetic analysis of vein function in the Drosophila embryonic nervous system. Genome 43(3):564-73 Maduro MF, Gordon M, Jacobs R, Pilgrim DB. 2000. The UNC-119 family of neural proteins is functionally conserved between humans, Drosophila and C. elegans. J Neurogenet 13(4):191-212