Life Sciences Cafe: Diego Bohórquez

"A gut choice: How the gut drives the choice of calorie rich sugars"

Presenter: Diego Bohórquez, Assistant Professor, Gastroenterology and Neurobiology, Duke University

The motivation for humans to consume sugars is thought to arise at the surface of the gut. However, the neural circuits are unknown. The Bohórquez Laboratory discovered a neural circuit linking gut to brain in one synapse. The circuit begins with a type of sensory epithelial cell that synapses with nerves. These epithelial cells are called neuropod cells. In the mouse small intestine, monosynaptic rabies virus infects neuropod cells and spreads onto vagal neurons that project to the nucleus tractus solitarius in the brainstem. This neural circuit is necessary and sufficient to transduce sensory signals from sugars. Silencing neuropod cells silences the ability of the animal to distinguish the caloric content in sugars. This gut sensor for calories is the portal for calories in nutrients to drive our motivation to eat. 

1 p.m. Seminar
2 p.m. Treat and Greet

View the livestream at asunow.asu.edu/asulive.