Lisa Friedli
| Program: | Ph.D. |
| Major Professor: | Peter Atkinson |
| E-Mail: | |
| Location: | 341 Ent |
| Phone (office): | (951) 827-3629 |
Education
- B.S. Environmental Science Huxley Environmental College, Western Washington University 1997
- M.P.H. Environmental Health Sciences Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University 2001
Research Focus
Localization and characterization of insulin-like proteins in the mosquito Culex quinquefacsiatus.
Unlike mammals, insects contain many insulin-like proteins. The insulin/PI3-Kinase pathway has been shown to play a significant role in larval nutrition in Drosophila melanogaster through coordinating cell growth and division with nutrition. Mosquitoes also possess many polyploid tissues during larval development and it is likely that insulin, and this same pathway, also play a role in the cellular response to nutrition in mosquito larvae. We are investigating this in the Wset Nile vector Culex quinquefasciatus by identifying and cloning the insulin genes and insulin receptor from this species. We are also interested to determine if expression of these genes during larval development also affects the level of adult nutrition immediately following emergence.
Selected Publications
- Holt, R. A., et al. (2002). The genome sequence of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Science 298: 129-149.