November 10, 2011
Entomologist invited to University of Georgia to present tick talk
Yoonseong Park, associate professor of entomology, was invited to present a seminar "Molecular physiology of tick salivary glands: How to spit" to the department of entomology at the University of Georgia in Athens.
The talk was about recent findings in the studies of neural and hormonal mechanisms regulating tick salivary secretion. Salivary secretion of ticks is an important factor in tick feeding and in pathogen transmission. Park's lab recently uncovered several different neuropeptides and biogenic amines, and their receptors involved in the control of the salivary glands. Based on the gene expression patterns and protein localizations, Park proposes a hypothetical model for the mechanisms of neural and hormonal control of tick salivary glands at the molecular and cellular levels.