Our laboratory is interested in dissecting animal behaviors that are driven by TRP channels. We isolated the founding member of the TRP superfamily of cation channels as part of our characterization of Drosophila visual transduction, and later identified mammalian TRP channels. We now know that the TRP superfamily is comprised of 28 mammalian channels as well as 13 Drosophila proteins, most of which play important roles in sensory physiology. To characterize behaviors that function through TRP channels we are focusing on the fruit fly, with a particular emphasis on behaviors impacted by chemosensory and thermal input. We are also dissecting the roles of other receptors, such as gustatory receptors, in controlling animal behavior.

TRP channels also cause human disease, including the early childhood neurodegenerative disease, mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV). Using flies as an animal model for MLIV, we dissected the cellular mechanism of neurodegeneration and proposed a therapeutic approach for treating this disease. To characterize mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, we are also exploiting the visual system to dissect the underlying bases for the retinal degenerations that result from mutations that disrupt the TRP channel, rhodopsin and other signaling molecules.

Publications:

Wang, T., Wang, X, Xie, Q. and Montell, C. 2008. The SOCS box protein STOPS is required for phototransduction through its effects on phospholipase C. Neuron 57, 56-68.PubMed Reference

Kwon, Y, Shim, H.S., Wang, X. and Montell, C. 2008. Control of thermotactic behavior via coupling of a TRP channel to a phospholipase C signaling cascade. Nat. Neurosci. 11, 871-873.PubMed Reference

Jiao, Y., Moon, S.J., Wang, X., Ren, Q. and Montell, C. 2008. Gr64f is required in combination with other gustatory receptors for sugar detection in Drosophila. Curr. Biol. 18, 1797-1801.PubMed Reference

Venkatachalam, K., Long, A.A., Elsaesser, R., Nikolaeva, D., Broadie, K. and Montell, C. 2008. Motor deficit in a Drosophila model of mucolipidosis type IV due to defective clearance of apoptotic cells. Cell 135, 838-851.PubMed Reference

Lee, Y., Moon, S.J. and Montell, C. 2009. Multiple gustatory receptors required for the caffeine response in Drosophila. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 4495-4500.PubMed Reference