SHEEBA VASU

RAMANUJAN FELLOWS
SHEEBA VASU
Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit
Jawarharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
Jakkur Campus, Jakkur P.O.
Bangalore-560 064, Karnataka
[email protected], [email protected]
Sheeba Vasu obtained her BSc from Mount Carmel College Bangalore and her MSc from Mangalore University. She completed her
doctoral research at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (2002). She conducted post-doctoral research at the
University of Massachussetts Medical School, New York University and University of California, Irvine (2002-2008),USA. She began her
independent research with Behavioural Neurogenetics Laboratory at JNCASR in 2009 as a DST Ramanujan Fellow.
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION
We study the ways in which neurons communicate with each other to regulate behaviours using the fruit fly
Drosophila melanogaster. Among the wide variety of robust rhythmic behaviors that it exhibits, most of our studies
focus on understanding the neuronal circuitry that regulates daily rhythms of activity, sleep, adult-emergence and
egg-laying. We take advantage of the vast variety of genetic tools available to answer many of our questions. In
addition, we use a comparative approach to derive general models regarding how neuronal circuits function by
examining other Drosophilid species such as D. ananassae, D. malerkotliana, D. nasuta and Zaprionus indianus.
Using a combination of behavioural, genetic, neuroanatomical and molecular methods, we are also attempting to
understand the possible role of temperature sensitive ion channels such as the transient receptor potential channel
- dTRPA1 in communicating with circadian clocks in Drosophila. We also use the circadian neuronal circuit in
fruitflies to model the progression of Huntington's disease - a neurodegenerative disorder with the aim to
understand links between behavioural defects and the underlying neuroanatomical and molecular dysfunction.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Sheeba V, Fogle KJ, Holmes TC. Persistence of morning anticipation behavior and high amplitude morning startle response following functional loss of
small ventral lateral neurons in Drosophila. PLoS One. 2010 Jul 16;5(7):e11628.
Sheeba V, Fogle KJ, Kaneko M, Rashid S, Chou YT, Sharma VK, Holmes TC. Large ventral lateral neurons modulate arousal and sleep in Drosophila. Curr
Biol. 2008 Oct 28;18(20):1537-45. Epub 2008 Sep 4.
Ayaz D, Leyssen M, Koch M, Yan J, Srahna M, Sheeba V, Fogle KJ, Holmes TC, Hassan BA. Axonal injury and regeneration in the adult brain of Drosophila. J
Neurosci. 2008 Jun 4;28(23):6010-21
Sheeba V, Sharma VK, Gu H, Chou YT, O'Dowd DK, Holmes TC. Pigment dispersing factor-dependent and -independent circadian locomotor behavioral
rhythms. J Neurosci. 2008 Jan 2;28(1):217-27. PubMed PMID: 18171939; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC2692917.
Sheeba V, Gu H, Sharma VK, O'Dowd DK, Holmes TC. Circadian- and light-dependent regulation of resting membrane potential and spontaneous action
potential firing of Drosophila circadian pacemaker neurons. J Neurophysiol. 2008 Feb;99(2):976-88. Epub 2007 Dec 12. PubMed PMID: 18077664;
PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2692874.
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