Short Bio
My name is Angélica Crespo Rodríguez. I am from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. I graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey with a major in Natural Sciences and a minor in the Structure and Function of the Human Body. I work in Dr. Alfredo Ghezzi’s research laboratory and I study how Tip60, a histone acetyltransferase, influences alcohol tolerance and its effects on the sleep/wake cycle in Drosophila melanogaster by exposing flies to alcohol at different time points and analyzing their behavioral responses.
A fun fact or hobby: I love to read about any type of genre in my spare time.
Research
Mentor:
Alfredo Ghezzi, PhD
Co-mentor:
Heeralal Janwa, PhD
Project Title:
Exploring Alcohol Sensitivity and Tolerance in Drosophila: The Crucial Role of Tip60 in Ventrolateral Neurons (LNv)
Project Description:
In our lab we focus on studying how Tip60, a histone acetyltransferase, might play a role in alcohol tolerance by using Drosophila melanogaster as a model. There are indications that alcohol affects the sleep/wake cycle of the flies, hence why we also focus on studying the ventrolateral neurons (LNv), who produce the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (pdf) in order to stabilize sleep/wake cycles. My research consists in exposing flies to alcohol at different times after they wake, some after four hours (Zt4) and others after eight hours (Zt8). We then examine the behavioral data and analyze how it affects their tolerance and sleep/wake cycles.