| My lab uses the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model system to study molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter release and the regulation of gap junctions. Specifically, we study the functions of BK channel, ryanodine receptor, voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in regulating neurotransmitter release; try to identify novel proteins that modulate BK channel function or mediate BK channel subcellular localization, and analyze of gap junction molecular compositions and their regulation by stomatin-like proteins. My lab was the first (so far the only one) to adapt the dual whole-cell voltage clamp technique to the analysis of electrical coupling in C. elegans. We use a combination of electrophysiological, genetic, and cell biological techniques in our research. |