Nigel Groome Studentship: The impact of neonicotinoid pesticide resistance on the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in food-related reward signalling

How the nervous system modulates the desire to eat remains a poorly understood but timely question given the current obesity epidemic. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are candidate modulators of this process, as they are expressed in brain regions that regulate both food intake and hedonic reward signalling and long-term consumption of sugar alters nAChR expression in these reward circuits.

We have shown that nAChR expression decreases during starvation in Drosophila melanogaster, suggesting a conserved role for these receptors. This project will therefore take advantage of the powerful genetic tools available in fruit flies to investigate the role of nAChRs in food-related reward signalling, food choice, and consumption. By combining advanced tools such as CRISPR, genetics and behavioural analysis, this research aims to uncover how nAChRs mediate the interplay between nutrition and reward.

This is a collaborative project between the labs of Dr Andrew Jones, a leading expert in Cys-loop ligand-gated ion channels (CysLGICs) in insects and Dr Korneel Hens, an expert on fly genetics, CRISPR modification and feeding behaviour.

It is an exciting opportunity to use state-of-the-art molecular techniques to answer a very timely research question. You will use CRISPR to tag nicotinic receptors that change expression upon starvation in the fly brain, study the expression pattern and activity of these receptors under different feeding conditions and use fly genetics to study the role of these receptors in reward signalling.

The studentship requires you to undertake the equivalent of up to 6 hrs of teaching per week on average, during semester time, and to include preparation and marking (but no more than 20 hrs per week), and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.