Chan Lab Research Interests
If you are interested in one of the topics below, or have ideas of your own, please contact us (Dr. Chan or Dr. Staab) to discuss research in the lab. Overall, I believe you can learn important ideas, techniques, and team skills in the lab. In the process, I hope our team can also better understand the neurobiological and physiological responses of animals to our environment and identify new players in healthy aging. Our work and the skills you develop will enhance the scientific community’s ability understand human behavior and to treat many devastating diseases, now and in the future!
**The Worm lab at Marian is specifically recruiting students to help study a NIH-funded project on the Biology of Aging. Please contact Dr. Chan or Dr. Staab if you are interested (jchan@marian.edu and tstaab@marian.edu). Opportunities include in-semester reserach for Credit, Paid Summer research, and in-semester technician positions.
Animals navigate a complex environment, and are exposed to many food sources, toxins, and bacteria that can impact their physiology (host physiology). In particular, our lab is interested in how these environmental factors alter host stress response, aging processes, and neuronal activity using the model organism C. elegans. One of the signaling pathways that mediates host physiology is the sphingolipid signaling pathway (see Figure). Regulating sphingolipid metabolism enzymes is critical to sphingolipid balance and normal function in all cells.
Sphingolipid signaling pathways are highly regulated during aging, and elevated or decreased levels of sphingolipids can have dramatic impacts on human health. In particular, they have been implicated in disorders such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, immune disfunction, and others. By studying the basic mechanisms that regulate sphingolipid metabolism enzymes, we can better understand aging processes. For a view of aging in worms, visit this wormbook site.
The micro biome (gut and skin) is the complex of microorganisms in the gut and the genes they express. The microbiome has a great impact on host physiology, and can alter diet, stress response, and neuronal function. The lab is interested in developing tools and strategies to better understand how bacteria in the gut and skin communicate with the host animal, and how this cross-talk changes the host response to the environment.
We collaborate with Dr. Regina Lamendella (Department of Biology, Juniata College) to perform metagenomics analyses using next generation sequencing and bioinformatics technologies. As shown in the Figure, we can successfully isolate and identify many bacterial species from worms cultivated in soil.
The communication of “stress” and environmental information is communicated through the whole organism. In neurons, communication occurs at synapses, which are sites of neurotransmitter and neuropeptide release (see Figure). Neurons can adapt by recruiting new neurons, changing neuronal connectivity, or altering the strength of neuronal communication. Stimuli enter the presynaptic terminal, causing the release of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, and the activation of the postsynaptic cell. Diverse types of factors control how much transmitter gets released, and an extensive array of protein machinery helps to regulate the strength of neuronal communication. It is becoming increasingly important to understand how the environment affects the synapse, its proteins, and its ability to confer efficient neuronal communication. In addition, we are interested in understanding how the changing lipid environment during aging might affect neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer's.
Immune functions are important to our defense against pathogens and toxins in the environment. Worms have an innate immune system, which is important to aging biology. The lab is interested in a new project analyzing the roles of sphingolipids in the immune system and how this might affect aging processes.
Grace McIntyre will present her work on sphingolipids and aging at the upcoming ASCB (cell biology meeting)!
Grace McIntyre '22, Grace Harmon '22, and Nate Marks '22 were summer fellows during summer of 2020! Great work guys!
LAB NEWS
FUNDING
through Juniata's Genomics Leadership Initiative
IHI - International Healthspan Institute
Congrats to Grace McIntyre and Maggie Peck for the abstract publication in FASEB! Unfortunately, the ASBMB meeting was canceled but their abstract was accepted. Click on the links to read more.