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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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“Map Making in C. elegans: Charting the Nervous System”
Oliver Hobert, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Columbia University
The developmental history and anatomy of the nematode C.elegans has been exceptionally well mapped. The next frontier lies in taking maps to the next level, that of molecular maps which define the identity and function of unique cell types. Defining molecular maps is in particularly high demand in the context of the nervous system. For example, the C.elegans connectome, which still remains the only connectome of any nervous system, begs the question how neurons communicate with one another. I will describe our efforts to build a comprehensive neurotransmitter map of the C.elegans nervous system and I will then use this neurotransmitter map to describe our efforts to provide “regulatory maps” which explain how neurotransmitter identity is genetically programmed and how this critical identity feature of a neuron is linked to other identity features of a neuron. The underlying vision that guides our research is to understand on a true system-wide level how a nervous system is built.
This presentation can be seen via videoconference on the Emory Campus HSRB
