Karina Cerda joined the Palmer Lab in April 2022 as a Laboratory Assistant. She finished her Master’s degree in Molecular Ecology and Biotechnology at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) in Mexico. Her main research interests involves population genetics and using molecular tools. She is very committed to multidisciplinary projects. She is involved in varying fields from  Government legislation to sample genotyping. Out of the lab, Karina likes to practice martial arts, outdoor activities, and pole dances.

Welcome, Karina!

The manuscript, “Genome-wide association mapping of ethanol sensitivity in the Diversity Outbred mouse population”, has been accepted for publication in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. This study uses Diversity Outbred (DO) mice to map quantitative trait loci associated with ethanol sensitivity and identifies candidate genes from these loci for future functional validation. Drs. Abraham Palmer and Oksana Polesskaya along with several others coauthored this article. See the bioRxiv preprint here.

Congratulations!

Shae Ziegler joined the Palmer Lab in February 2022 as an information systems analyst. She graduated from UCSD in 2021 with a B.S. in Cognitive Science with specialization in Machine Learning and Neural Computation as well as a minor in Business. In her free time she enjoys playing lacrosse, hanging out with dogs, and playing video games.

Welcome, Shae!

The manuscript, “Leptin protects against the development and expression of cocaine addiction-like behavior in heterogeneous stock rats”, has been accepted for publication in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. This study examines the the effect differing bodyweight and blood leptin levels on the vulnerability to addiction like behavior and the impact of exogenous leptin to cocaine seeking in a large heterogenous rat population. Dr. Abraham Palmer and current Palmer lab member, Clara Ortez, are coauthors along with several others. See pre-print here.

Congrats!

The manuscript, “A mutant allele of Neuronal Membrane Glycoprotein M6-B (Gpm6b) facilitates behavioral flexibility but increases delay discounting”, has been accepted for publication in Genes, Brain and Behavior. Authors include Sandra Sanchez-Roige, Samuel Barnes, Jazlene Mallari, Rebecca Wood, Oksana Polesskaya and Abraham Palmer.

Congratulations!

The manuscript, “A natural mutator allele shapes mutation spectrum variation in mice”, was accepted for publication in Nature. Using the BXD recombinant inbred mouse strain, this study aims to identify the loci that impacts germline mutagenesis. Natural variation in the DNA repair gene, Mutyh, was identified to possibly cause the BXD mutator phenotype. Dr. Abraham Palmer and several others are co-authors on this paper. See the manuscript here. 

Congrats, Dr. Palmer!

The manuscript, “Genome-wide association study on three behaviors tested in an open field in heterogeneous stock rats identifies multiple loci implicated in psychiatric disorders”, was accepted for publication in Frontiers Psychiatry, section Addictive Disorders. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of behaviors measured in an open field was conducted in HS rats. 30 genome wide significant quantitative trait loci and 13 candidate genes were identified for these traits. Not only did this study identify genes that were implicated by human GWAS of psychiatry traits, but also observes several novel findings. Current

The article, “Polymorphic SNPs, short tandem repeats and structural variants are responsible for differential gene expression across C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 substrains”, has been accepted for publication in Cell Genomics. This article compares the widely used C57BL/6J inbred mouse strain with closely related C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 sub strains. Whole genome sequencing and RNA-sequencing analysis of these strains yielded several thousand SNPs, INDELs, short tandem repeats (STRs), structural variants and differentially expressed genes. Milad Mortazavi, Dr. Abraham Palmer and several others coauthored this article. See the article here. Congratulations!

Palmer and Dulawa Lab members gathered to celebrate the holidays and Amanda’s new job as an Assistant Professor in New Mexico! Happy Holidays!

Dr. Amanda Barkley-Levenson has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and will be starting in 2022. Her lab will work on understanding the genetic basis of alcohol use disorder and excessive drinking by translating novel hits from human GWAS into mouse models for comprehensive follow-up and validation.

Congratulations, Amanda!