Uncategorized

August 13, 2026

A New Look at Brain Wiring

A new study from the Farhy lab in the Texas A&M University Department of Biology sheds light on how astrocytes, a type of non-neuronal brain cell, help wire developing neural circuits. The research, published in Communications Biology, focuses on how these important cells contribute to the formation and function of excitatory synapses of the visual circuit.

Dr. Farhy joined the Department of Biology in 2020. Her lab studies how astrocytes and neurons communicate to build and maintain synapses, work that directly links to human health, as synaptic dysfunction is a hallmark of conditions including autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Tracing a Calcium Pathway

The study, led by first author Gillian Imrie, a Ph.D. student in the lab, examines a calcium signaling pathway mediated by endoplasmic reticulum receptor IP3R2. Using a mouse model, the team found that without this signaling pathway, astrocytes failed to develop their normal branching structure, and nearby neurons showed disrupted synapse development in the visual system. Mice lacking the pathway also showed reduced neuronal activation in response to light and impaired behavioral responses to visual threats.

Together, the findings point to a mechanism linking astrocyte structural and functional development to how well the brain’s neural circuits mature. Because problems in astrocyte-neuron communication have been tied to neurodevelopmental disorders, the results offer a new angle for understanding what might go wrong when astrocyte development is impaired.

A Long-Standing Debate, Resolved

“There’s been a long-standing debate about the importance of this signaling pathway for brain function. Our work helps resolve this controversy by showing its role is context-specific rather than universally required, which truly highlights the versatility and complexity of astrocytic calcium signaling, and opens up new and exciting research avenues,” said Dr. Farhy.

The paper, “Astrocyte store released calcium modulates structural synapse development and circuit output in the visual system,” by Gillian Imrie, Isabella Farhy-Tselnicker and colleagues, is now available online in Communications Biology. Co-authors include Farhy lab Ph.D. students Jordan Mar and Madison B. Gray, and undergraduate researcher Tatiana Quiceno.

November 11, 2025

After more than a decade of research, a team led by Drs. Deborah Bell-Pedersen and Teresa Lamb in the Department of Biology at Texas A&M University, has uncovered how the body’s internal clock fine-tunes the cellular machinery responsible for making proteins.

The study, published in Cell Reports, demonstrates that the circadian clock rhythmically alters the composition of ribosomes – the molecular machines that translate genetic information into proteins. These daily changes, the researchers found, regulate both when proteins are produced and how accurately they are synthesized.

 Using the model organism Neurospora crassa, the team discovered that levels of specific ribosomal proteins in ribosomes, including eL31, fluctuate with circadian time and directly influence daily rhythms in cellular protein production. A surprising discovery was that clock-regulated incorporation of eL31 into ribosomes affects the accuracy of protein synthesis, linking temporal ribosome remodeling to daily changes in protein diversity that extend beyond the static genetic blueprint.

“These findings reveal that the circadian clock doesn’t just control when protein levels peak, but also how it expands the functional diversity of proteins beyond the encoded genome sequence,” said Bell-Pedersen. “By uncovering how the clock influences translation at the molecular level, we open doors to understanding how disruptions in circadian rhythms, such as those caused by shift work or jet lag, might contribute to diseases involving protein levels or protein synthesis accuracy.”

The work provides a new understanding of how timing mechanisms within cells influence nearly every aspect of biology. Because protein synthesis fidelity is critical for cellular homeostasis and longevity, the study suggests that circadian regulation helps balance translational accuracy to maintain proteostasis, particularly under stress. As clock function declines with age, this regulation may falter, increasing protein errors and driving age-related disease. Preserving circadian clock function could therefore enhance protein quality control and promote healthy aging.

Postdoctoral research on molecular and physiological basis of circadian-metabolic cross-talk

Postdoctoral positions are available in the laboratory of Dr. Shogo Sato in the Department of Biology, Texas A&M University (https://www.bio.tamu.edu/faculty-page-shogo-sato/). Our lab chases answers for how the biological circadian system programs metabolic and epigenetic functions, and brings the mounting evidence up to the translational and practical levels. We ultimately aim to develop novel approaches to promote health and reverse metabolic diseases, cancer, and aging through metabolic and epigenetic activation of the circadian clock functions.

During the early stage of our lab, we will intensively focus on;

1) determining how the circadian clocks are implicated in the functions of different types of stem cells

2) identifying exercise-related metabolites that entrain the circadian clock and metabolic rhythms

3) developing an in vivo targeting clock gene activation system

[Research keywords]

Circadian biology; Exercise biology; Stem cell biology; Biological clocks; Metabolism; Epigenetics; Metabolic diseases; Aging; Cancer; Epigenetic therapy

For more information, please see the following publications;

1. Sato, S.*, Hishida, T.*, Kinouchi, K.*, Hatanaka, F., Li, Y., Nguyen, Q., Chen, Y., Wang, P.H., Kessenbrock, K., Li, W., Belmonte, J.C.I., Sassone-Corsi, P. (under review) The circadian clock CRY1 regulates pluripotent stem cell identity. *contributed equally.
2. Sato, S.*, Dyar, K.*, Treebak, J.T.*, Jepsen, S.L., Ehrlich, A.M, Ashcroft, S.P., Trost, K., Kunzke, T., Prade, V.M., Small, L., Basse, A.L., Schönke, M., Chen, S., Samad, M., Baldi, P., Barres, R., Walch, A., Moritz, T., Holst, J.J., Lutter, D., Zierath, J.R., Sassone-Corsi, P. (2022) Atlas of exercise metabolism reveals time-dependent signatures of metabolic homeostasis. Cell Metab 34, 329-345 *contributed equally.
3. Sato, S., Basse, A.L., Schönke, M., Chen, S., Samad, M., Altıntaş, A., Laker, R.C., Dalbram, E., Barrès, R., Baldi, P., Treebak, J.T., Zierath, J.R., Sassone-Corsi, P. (2019) Time of exercise specifies the impact of muscle metabolic pathways and systemic energy homeostasis. Cell Metab 30, 92-110.
4. Sato, S.*, Parr, E.B.*, Devlin, B.L., Hawley, J.A., Sassone-Corsi, P. (2018) Human Metabolomics reveal daily variations under nutritional challenges specific to serum and skeletal muscle. Mol Metab 16, 1-11. *contributed equally.
5. Sato, S.*, Solanas, G.*, Peixoto, F.O.*, Bee, L., Symeonidi, A., Schmidt, M.S., Brenner, C., Masri, S., Benitah, S.A., Sassone-Corsi, P. (2017) Circadian reprogramming in the liver identifies metabolic pathways of aging. Cell 170, 1-12. *contributed equally.

[Qualification]

1. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. (or M.D./Ph.D., M.D.)
2. Team-players, and motivated, enthusiastic and cooperative talents
3. Applicants with any research backgrounds are welcome but should be interested in circadian biological research
4. Experience in biochemical, molecular biological analyses using small rodents and cell culture is preferred

[Salary, Benefits]

1. Salary (stipend) will be paid according to TAMU and NIH guidelines (see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-049.html).
2. Benefits including health insurance will be covered according to TAMU guideline.

Please send 1) a cover letter and CV including names and contact information of two/three references, and 2) a summary of previous (current) research and future research interest (1-2 pages) to Shogo Sato (shogo.sato@bio.tamu.edu).

Please feel free to contact me and ask any questions.

Shogo Sato, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Center for Biological Clocks Research, Department of Biology

Texas A&M University

shogo.sato@bio.tamu.edu

4-year NSF funded postdoctoral position in the Merlin lab
Molecular bases underlying photoperiodism in monarch butterflies

The Merlin lab is seeking a postdoctoral associate to work on a newly funded project that investigates the mechanisms underlying photoperiodism in monarch butterflies. This project extends on our findings showing that photoperiodic and circadian clock regulation of the vitamin A pathway in the brain mediates seasonal responsiveness (Iiams et al., PNAS, 2019), and seeks to characterize the role of vitamin A in either the production of a photoperiodic photoreceptor or seasonal transcriptional reprogramming. The project will utilize contemporary techniques and approaches, including CRISPR/Cas9 for the production of loss-of-function mutants and various state-of-the-art high-throughput sequencing technologies (bulk and single-cell RNA-seq).
Interested candidates should have a Doctoral degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD or equivalent) and background in molecular biology and bioinformatics. Candidates will be given the opportunity to also develop their own projects to establish their independent career.

Application Instructions: Interested candidates should submit the following documents by email to cmerlin@bio.tamu.edu and applyat https://jobs.tamu.edu/ with job requisition id R-054267:
(1) A cover letter outlining your research interests and career goals.
(2) A CV that includes research experience, technical and soft skills, and a list of publications.
(3) The contact information of three professional references. Reference letters are not required at this stage, but will be during the final selection process.
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

About the lab and Texas A&M University: Our lab offers a dynamic, collegial and multicultural environment that fosters interactions, scientific discussions, and collaborations. We are affiliated with the Department of Biology (https://bio.tamu.edu), the Program of Genetics (https://genetics.tamu.edu), the Program of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (https://eeb.tamu.edu), and the Program of Neuroscience (https://tamin.tamu.edu). We are also part of the Center for Biological Clocks Research (https://clocks.tamu.edu), which brings together ten labs working on biological rhythms within the department (Bell-Pedersen, Earnest, Hardin, Jones, Keene, Li, Menet, Merlin, Sato, and Zoran). Texas A&M is a Tier 1 research institution that ranks 14th in the US for research expenditure with more than $1.131 billion in 2020. Texas A&M hosts many state-of-the-art research facilities, including a genomics core and a High-Performance Research Computing core. Bryan-College Station, home of Texas A&M, is a vibrant, dynamic, and rapidly growing community that offers cultural diversity, entertainment, job opportunities, and overall quality of life. Located in the heart of the Houston-Dallas-Austin triangle, the region offers the modern amenities of a big city with a warm, small-town charm, and low cost of living, making it an ideal place to live.

The Menet lab is seeking two postdoctoral associates to work on two newly funded projects that investigate the mechanisms underlying rhythmic gene expression in the mouse.

One project extends on our findings showing that the 24-hour rhythm of food intake drives a large fraction of the mouse liver cycling transcriptome independently of the liver circadian clock (Greenwell et al., Cell Reports, 2019), and seeks to characterize the role of mTOR and other signaling pathways into how rhythmic systemic signals drive rhythmic transcription and contribute to the rhythmic regulation of various cellular, physiological, and behavioral processes in the mouse.

The second project stems from our molecular characterization of how the core circadian transcription factor CLOCK:BMAL1 drives rhythmic transcription (Trott and Menet, PLoS Genetics, 2018; Beytebiere et al., Genes & Development, 2019), and seeks to determine how CLOCK:BMAL1 regulates the chromatin environment, nucleosome positioning, and enhancer activity over the 24-hour day.

Both projects utilize contemporary techniques and approaches, including various state-of-the-art and in-house- designed high-throughput sequencing technologies. More details about our projects can be found on our website https://www.menetlab.com.

Interested candidates should have a Doctoral degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD or equivalent) and background in molecular and cellular biology. While experience in bioinformatics is not required, the successful candidates will be expected to learn bioinformatics and coding in R or other languages.

Application Instructions: Interested candidates should submit the following documents by email to menet@bio.tamu.edu:

(1) a cover letter outlining your research interests and career goals.

(2) a CV that includes research experience, technical and soft skills, and a list of publications.

(3) the contact information of three professional references. Reference letters are not required at this stage, but will be during the final selection process.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the two positions are filled.

About the lab and Texas A&M University: Our lab offers a dynamic, collegial and multicultural environment that fosters interactions, scientific discussions, and collaborations. We are affiliated with the Department of Biology (https://bio.tamu.edu) and the Program of Genetics (https://genetics.tamu.edu). We are also part of the Center for Biological Clocks Research (https://clocks.tamu.edu), which brings together ten labs working on biological rhythms (Bell-Pedersen, Earnest, Hardin, Jones, Keene, Li, Menet, Merlin, Sato, and Zoran). Texas A&M is a Tier 1 research institution that ranks 14th in the US for research expenditure with more than $1.131 billion in 2020. Texas A&M hosts many state-of-the-art research facilities, including a genomics core, a High-Performance Research Computing core, a rodent phenotyping core, and metabolomics and mass spectrometry cores. Bryan-College Station, home of Texas A&M, is a vibrant, dynamic, and rapidly growing community that offers cultural diversity, entertainment, job opportunities, and overall quality of life. Located in the heart of the Houston-Dallas-Austin triangle, the region offers the modern amenities of a big city with a warm, small-town charm, and low cost of living, making it an ideal place to live.

Postdoctoral associate, graduate student, research assistant positions are available in the laboratory of Dr. Wanhe Li in the Department of Biology, Center for Biological Clocks Research, Texas A&M University (https://www.bio.tamu.edu/faculty-page-wanhe-li/). Our research program links sleep and emotion studies in model organisms. Specifically, we exploit chronic social isolation to study the etiology of sleep loss and other adverse health conditions under chronic stress¹.

We are focusing on:

1. Analyzing genetic pathways underlying chronic social isolation-induced sleep loss and determining how circadian, seasonal, disease and age factors influence these pathways.
2. Identifying neural substrates and circuits underlying social isolation-induced sleep loss. These neural substrates and circuits will reveal (a) principles of sleep and wakefulness control; (b) molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying the passage of time during chronic social isolation.
3. Exploring chronic social isolation-induced metabolic changes and its associated health outcomes.
4. Developing a genetically tractable animal model to study the reciprocal relationship between chronic stress and the progression of tumor.

Research Keyword

Chronic stress, chronic social isolation, sleep and wakefulness regulation, metabolism, ageing, chronic diseases, tumorigenesis, circadian biology, neural circuits, genetics, and genomics.

For postdoctoral positions, applicants are expected to hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D. (or equivalent doctoral degrees) at the start date. Applicants with any research background are welcome to apply. Prior experience in biochemistry/molecular biology, neurogenetics/genomics, imaging/optics, sleep/circadian biology, and Drosophila tumorigenesis models is preferred. Outstanding candidates should have a strong interest in sleep and circadian biology research and a strong interest in developing research skills using multidisciplinary approaches. Our research will train broad skills in molecular biology, Drosophila genetics, genomics and bioinformatics, metabolic analyses, instrumentation, high throughput behavioral analyses, immunohistochemical techniques, and in vivo functional imaging using two-photon microscopy.

Texas A&M University, one of the US’s largest public institutions is located at College Station, Texas, which is within easy driving distance to Houston, Austin, Dalla and San Antonio. College Station, as a high-tech research area, has a rapidly growing population and has been ranked No. 3 on Forbes’ list of the best small U.S. places for business and careers and one of the nation’s top 10 cities for families.

Please email wli01@tamu.edu with a cover letter, CV and contact information for 2-3 references.

Competitive salary and benefits, including health insurance and retirement benefit, will be offered according to Texas A&M University and NIH guidelines.

1. Li W., Wang Z., Syed S., Lyu C., Lincoln S., O’Neil J., Nguyen A., Feng I., Young M.W. (2021) Chronic social isolation signals starvation and reduces sleep in Drosophila. Nature, 597(7875):239-244

Highlighted in Levine J.D. (2021) Chronically lonely flies overeat and lose sleep. News and Views, Nature