Sensing and signaling ER stress from neurons to periphery
An organism’s capacity to deal with stress declines during the aging process and preserving the response to stress is critical for healthy aging. Neurons play an essential role in sensing and signaling responses to stress to preserve the health and function of the entire organism. Dr. Sanabria’s proposal aims to ascribe neurons as the “guardians” of stress responses as the primary cells responsible for sensing stress and coordinating an organism-wide response to stress. Specifically, he proposes to study how neurons sense stress to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the organelle responsible for synthesis of proteins and lipids in the cell. Moreover, he aims to identify which neurons can sense ER stress and what neuronal signals and circuits exist to communicate the ER stress response to an appropriate organism-wide response. Finally, he hopes to uncover how neuronal stress sensing and signaling changes during aging, and how the breakdown of these neuronal processes contributes to aging.