Jan Melom, 2008-

B.S., 2006, University of California San Diego

 I am interested in how glial calcium signaling contributes to epilepsy, a recurrent seizure disorder.  Although glial cells are an essential component of the nervous system, comprising over half the cells in a human brain, relatively little is known about the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neuron-glia communication.  In Drosophila, mutation of an evolutionarily conserved glial-specific K+-dependent Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCKX) causes temperature-sensitive seizures.  I am investigating the function of NCKX to understand how glial calcium signaling affects the development of seizures.

   I am also studying a recently identified autism-associated protein, NHE9.  NHE9 is one of several newly identified genetic links that indicate abnormal endosomal trafficking may lead to autism.  I am characterizing the contribution of NHE9 to reception and transmission of activity-dependent synaptic growth signals by studying a nhe9 null mutant in Drosophila.