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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Optogenetic Stimulation Of Drosophila Heart Rate At Different Temperatures And Ca2+ Concentrations, Yuechen Zhu, Henry Uradu, Zana R. Majeed, Robin L. Cooper
Optogenetic Stimulation Of Drosophila Heart Rate At Different Temperatures And Ca2+ Concentrations, Yuechen Zhu, Henry Uradu, Zana R. Majeed, Robin L. Cooper
Biology Faculty Publications
Optogenetics is a revolutionary technique that enables noninvasive activation of electrically excitable cells. In mammals, heart rate has traditionally been modulated with pharmacological agents or direct stimulation of cardiac tissue with electrodes. However, implanted wires have been known to cause physical damage and damage from electrical currents. Here, we describe a proof of concept to optically drive cardiac function in a model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. We expressed the light sensitive channelrhodopsin protein ChR2.XXL in larval Drosophila hearts and examined light‐induced activation of cardiac tissue. After demonstrating optical stimulation of larval heart rate, the approach was tested at low temperature …
Human Gut Bacteria Are Sensitive To Melatonin And Express Endogenous Circadian Rhythmicity, Jiffin K. Paulose, John M. Wright, Akruti G. Patel, Vincent M. Cassone
Human Gut Bacteria Are Sensitive To Melatonin And Express Endogenous Circadian Rhythmicity, Jiffin K. Paulose, John M. Wright, Akruti G. Patel, Vincent M. Cassone
Biology Faculty Publications
Circadian rhythms are fundamental properties of most eukaryotes, but evidence of biological clocks that drive these rhythms in prokaryotes has been restricted to Cyanobacteria. In vertebrates, the gastrointestinal system expresses circadian patterns of gene expression, motility and secretion in vivo and in vitro, and recent studies suggest that the enteric microbiome is regulated by the host’s circadian clock. However, it is not clear how the host’s clock regulates the microbiome. Here, we demonstrate at least one species of commensal bacterium from the human gastrointestinal system, Enterobacter aerogenes, is sensitive to the neurohormone melatonin, which is secreted into the …