Institut Jacques Monod Seminar – Erin L. Barnhart

Invited by the Konstantinides, Erin L. Barnhart (Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University) will present an Institut Jacques Monod seminar on the theme:

Organelle dynamics and neuronal form and function

Abstract:

Neurons are signal processors: individual units that receive, process, and transmit signals within a circuit. Neurons are also cells: dynamic, self-organizing systems in which constituent elements (e.g. organelles) turn over on time scales substantially shorter than the lifetime of the neuron. In my group, we aim to understand, first, how neurons maintain mitochondrial homeostasis; second, how deficits in mitochondrial homeostasis affect neuronal form and function; and third, how mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum tune specific neuronal computations in vivo. In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive, quantitative model linking mitochondrial homeostasis to neuronal morphology in Drosophila. I will also discuss how deficits in mitochondrial dynamics — motility, fission, and fusion — affect neuronal development, as well as neuronal function in adult flies.