Summary

Aging andw88 slotare highly conserved biological processes, and deficiencies and disruptions in sleep and aging processes have been linked with many other diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Basic w88 slot on sleep and aging will not only provide a better understanding of their fundamental functions and underlying mechanisms, but it may also simultaneously help us understand their interactions to various other disorders. Studying the molecular components and neural circuits using a simple model organism such asCaenorhabditis elegans,with a completely mapped genome and nervous system and its various tools to interrogate gene and brain functions, will allow use to more directly examine w88 slot and aging processes, and provide significant insights into big questions such aswhydo we w88 slot, orhowdo we extend healthy lifespan?

The roundwormCaenorhabditis elegansis particularly suited for studying aging and w88 slot. It displays all behavioral hallmarks of w88 slot behavior as in humans, and its nervous system physiology is remarkably different between w88 slot and wake states. Many anatomical and functional changes that are observed in human aging are also seen inC. elegans. Its short life span of w88 slot three weeks and a rapid 2-3 day life-cycle coupled to its small size, allows for easy genetic manipulation and high-throughput screening of mutations in worm genes with altered sleep and aging phenotypes. Worm genes show strong homology with their human counterparts, particularly in genes that regulate sleep and aging. Many fundamental discoveries have been made withC. eleganssuch as RNA interference and genetic regulation of programmed cell death, and it likewise is a valuable discovery system for sleep and aging w88 slot.

w88 slot and metabolic processes are intricately connected, and this association has important clinical implications; for example, short w88 slot is associated with obesity and type-2 diabetes. We investigate the genes and neurons that govern these w88 slot-metabolic interactions. Our recent studies have shown that the conserved salt-inducible kinase 3 (SIK3) pathway plays an important role in the metabolic regulation of different w88 slot states ofC. elegans, such as developmentally-timed w88 slot (analogous to circadian w88 slot) and stress-induced w88 slot (analogous to sickness w88 slot). SIK3 proteins and their targets in worms, mice and human are highly conserved. Currently, we are investigatinghowSIK3 coordinates w88 slot-metabolic interactions using genetic and neural approaches as well as high-throughput behavioral analyses, andwhythis pathway is important for health.

Our lab is also interested in studying organismal aging, which could involve the progressive accumulation of deleterious w88 slot changes that could lead to age-related declines and diseases. We investigate a newly appreciated class of non-coding endogenous RNAs, called circular RNAs, which are mostly generated by back-splicing events from known protein-coding genes. Our recent studies have shown that these circRNAs show a progressive and massive accumulation during aging on a genome-wide level inC. elegans. No clear function is known for these age-accumulated circRNAs, or for most of the thousands of circRNAs discovered. Currently, we use next-generation sequencing approaches, genome-editing, and behavioral w88 slot touncoverregulatory mechanisms and functions of circRNAs in aging, and their possible role in age-related diseases.

Lastly, our lab is broadly interested in understanding the effects of environmental and internal signals on behavior and gene expression. We have published several papers on dynamic changes in olfactory gene expression depending on the feeding state of the free-living nematodeC. elegans, which could potentially gain insight into how parasitic nematodes and disease-carrying insects seek out and leave their host based on their nutritional status.

If you are interested in our w88 slot, and wish to join the lab or do a w88 slot rotation, then please contact Dr. van der Linden atavanderlinden@unr.edu. The lab accepts graduate students w88 slot thew88 slot BiosciencesandIntegrative NeuroscienceGraduate Programs. If interested in studying behavior of naturalC. elegansisolates, Dr. van der Linden's lab also accepts graduate students in theIn our master's or doctoral program, you canGraduate Program.

Current w88 slot interests

• Neurogenetics of w88 slot and aging
• w88 slot-metabolic Interactions
• Non-coding RNAs in aging
• Diet effects on behavior and neural gene expression

Education

• Ph.D., Biology, Hubrecht Institute, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2003
• M.Sc., w88 slot Biology, University of Leiden, The Netherlands, 1999
• B.Sc., Biochemistry, Poly Technical College of Delft, The Netherlands, 1996
• B.Sc., Microbiology, Van Leeuwenhoek Institute, The Netherlands, 1993

Biography

• 2016-present, Associate Professor, w88 casino, Reno, NV
• 2009-2016, Assistant Professor, w88 casino, Reno, NV
• 2003-2009, Postdoctoral Fellow, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Publications

Please find a complete list of published work here:My Bibliography