The Fall 2019 Biology Seminar Series concludes with Catherine Brennan's talk, "Using Drosophila to study the immunity and biology of macrophages."

19 Nov
11:45 am - 12:45 pm
Add to Calendar 2019-11-19 11:45:00 2019-11-19 12:45:00 Catherine Brennan - Using Drosophila to study the immunity and biology of macrophages The Fall 2019 Biology Seminar Series concludes with Catherine Brennan's talk, "Using Drosophila to study the immunity and biology of macrophages." BioScience 113 Occidental College info@kwallcompany.com America/Los_Angeles public
Location: BioScience 113
Event Date: Nov. 19, 2019

Catherine Brennan

California State University, Fullerton

Using Drosophila to study the immunity and biology of macrophages

Organisms throughout the animal kingdom possess specialized white blood cells, such as macrophages, that are able to engulf and kill invading microbes, as well as scavenge cellular debris such as apoptotic self cells, through the process of phagocytosis. One emerging theme is the importance of metabolism in influencing the activation state and function of mammalian macrophages, although the mechanisms are very unclear. My lab is developing the fruit fly Drosophila as a model to study metabolic aspects of macrophage function, taking advantage of the genetic tools available in this model organism. I will discuss our work identifying novel genes that mediate metabolic control of macrophage inflammation, as well as our studies on lipids and reactive oxygen species in inflammatory macrophages.

Sponsored By
Drosophila on plant