Research Focus

Current work in my lab is focused largely on isolating and characterizing the many genes that function in Johnston’s organ - the Drosophila auditory organ.

The mechanism of hearing in fruit flies is similar to that in mammals in many ways.  Sound vibrates the fly’s antenna, which produces stretch on individual sensory units, or scolopidia.  Like mammalian cochlear hair cells, these scolopidia transduce sound via ion channels which produce action potentials in auditory neurons.

We are interested in unraveling the development, function, and interaction of the many genes that give rise to a functional Johnston’s organ. Some of the genes known to function in Drosophila hearing are shown above.  Those highlighted in red indicate areas of active study in our lab, some of which have been published.