Research Areas

We examine the mechanisms of presynaptic dopamine vesicular neurotransmission using the Drosophila melanogaster genetic model. Our lab employs optical and genetic approaches with fluorescent reporters of dopamine vesicle cargo and pH in adult fly brain to investigate how vesicles modify their quantal size in response to depolarization or psychostimulants.

Based on the discovery that pancreatic islets express the same dopamine signaling machinery as the brain, we investigate dopamine's role in regulating insulin release. Our research examines how dopamine and D2-like receptors influence glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in both wildtype and tissue-selective dopamine receptor knockout mice.

We utilize cutting-edge in situ cryo-electron microscopy and super-resolution imaging to study vesicle trafficking and synaptic plasticity at unprecedented detail. This includes investigating mitochondrial diseases through cryo-electron tomography and examining secretory vesicle dynamics.