个人简介

Ph.D. University of Waterloo 2012 M.Sc. University of Guelph 2006

研究领域

Animal Biology Bioinformatics & Computational Biology Cell Biology Evolutionary Biology Functional Genomics Neurobiology Physiology Proteomics

The long-term goal of my research is to better understand the molecular underpinnings of synaptic evolution and diversity. To achieve this, we compare what we know about synaptic physiology and structure in mammalian and invertebrate model organisms, with two of the most early-diverging animals: 1) Placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens, a simple marine organism that exhibits motile behaviors including feeding, chemotaxis and phototaxis, yet lacks neurons, muscle and synapses; and 2) the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi, from the most basal animal phylum Ctenophora, which appears to have independently-evolved synapses. We focus on 1) voltage-gated calcium (Cav) channels, which in humans and invertebrates play crucial roles in synaptic transmission, and on 2) synaptic scaffolding proteins, which play dynamic roles in synapse formation and homeostasis. My team and I are initiating comparative structure-function and physiology studies of Cav channels, comparing human and other invertebrate channels with highly divergent orthologues/homologues from Trichoplax and Mnemiopsis. Here, objectives are to gain evolutionary insights into the biophysical and pharmacological features of each Cav channel type, and to determine whether the roles that Cav channels play in Trichoplax and Mnemiopsis resemble known synaptic functions of Cav channels in other well-studied organisms. We are also applying high-throughput proteomics to evaluate if key protein-protein interactions that underlie synaptic scaffolding, including the association of Cav channels with pre-synaptic exocytotic machinery, are absent/present in Trichoplax, in accordance with its lack of synapses, and to define the molecular architecture of the independently-evolved and poorly understood Mnemiopsis synapse.

近期论文

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Identification of genes related to learning and memory in the brain transcriptome of the mollusc, Hermissenda crassicornis.Tamvacakis AN, Senatore A, Katz PS.Learn. Mem. 2015 Dec;22(12):617-21 pubmed Deep mRNA sequencing of the Tritonia diomedea brain transcriptome provides access to gene homologues for neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission and peptidergic signalling.Senatore A, Edirisinghe N, Katz PS.PLoS ONE 2015;10(2):e0118321 pubmed Gd3+ and calcium sensitive, sodium leak currents are features of weak membrane-glass seals in patch clamp recordings.Boone AN, Senatore A, Chemin J, Monteil A, Spafford JD.PLoS ONE 2014;9(6):e98808 pubmed T-type channels become highly permeable to sodium ions using an alternative extracellular turret region (S5-P) outside the selectivity filter.Senatore A, Guan W, Boone AN, Spafford JD.J. Biol. Chem. 2014 Apr;289(17):11952-69 pubmed Cav3 T-type channels: regulators for gating, membrane expression, and cation selectivity.Senatore A, Guan W, Spafford JD.Pflugers Arch. 2014 Apr;466(4):645-60 pubmed A uniquely adaptable pore is consistent with NALCN being an ion sensor.Senatore A, Spafford JD.Channels (Austin) 2013 Mar-Apr;7(2):60-8 pubmed NALCN ion channels have alternative selectivity filters resembling calcium channels or sodium channels.Senatore A, Monteil A, van Minnen J, Smit AB, Spafford JD.PLoS ONE 2013;8(1):e55088 pubmed Induction of a ricinosomal-protease and programmed cell death in tomato endosperm by gibberellic acid.Trobacher CP, Senatore A, Holley C, Greenwood JS.Planta 2013 Mar;237(3):665-79 pubmed Gene transcription and splicing of T-type channels are evolutionarily-conserved strategies for regulating channel expression and gating.Senatore A, Spafford JD.PLoS ONE 2012;7(6):e37409 pubmed Mapping of dihydropyridine binding residues in a less sensitive invertebrate L-type calcium channel (LCa v 1).Senatore A, Boone A, Lam S, Dawson TF, Zhorov B, Spafford JD.Channels (Austin) 2011 Mar-Apr;5(2):173-87 pubmed Optimized transfection strategy for expression and electrophysiological recording of recombinant voltage-gated ion channels in HEK-293T cells.Senatore A, Boone AN, Spafford JD.J Vis Exp 2011;(47) pubmed