April 25, 2023
Haluk Lacin to present Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Seminar
Submitted by Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Haluk Lacin, professor of biological and biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, will be the featured speaker for this week's Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Seminar. Lacin will present "Lineage-Based Dissection of the Nervous System Development" at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in 120 Ackert Hall.
The precise and largely stereotyped connectivity patterns of neurons underlie all animal behavior from simple knee-jerk-like reflexes to complex behaviors, like playing the violin. While we have a good understanding of the conserved genetic and molecular mechanisms that drive the initial steps of nervous system formation, we possess a far more rudimentary knowledge of those that drive neural circuit formation and animal behavior. By focusing on the development and function of the Drosophila adult ventral nerve cord, which controls behaviors, such as walking, flying and grooming, Lacin's research leverages the power of the fly model system to dissect the genetic and cellular basis of neural circuit formation and behavior. Lacin's research group currently has two major goals:
- Generate a split GAL4 library to target individual lineages in the ventral nerve cord during development and adult life.
- Use these genetic drivers to dissect the molecular, genetic and developmental basis of neural circuit formation.