Faculty

Yali V. Zhang, Ph.D.

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Contact information
3500 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 267-519-4945
Education:
Ph.D. (Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB))
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2013.
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Description of Research Expertise

Research Interests

Investigating the molecular, cellular, and neural mechanisms underlying food preference and intake.

Keywords

Taste transduction and perception, Feeding preference, Taste receptors, Ion channels.


Research Details

To survive and reproduce, animals ranging from the smallest insect to the largest mammal have developed sophisticated feeding behaviors to effectively locate, select, and discriminate between different foods. Animals choose foods that are nutrient-rich while avoiding potentially harmful options. This raises a fundamental question: faced with highly varied and sometimes contradictory stimuli, how do animals make sense of the complex food environment to control feeding behaviors?

To tackle this question, we employ model organisms such as the fruit fly to investigate how the chemical features (sweetness, bitterness, saltiness, etc.) and the physical properties (texture, temperature, etc.) of food affect feeding behaviors. We adopt a multidisciplinary approach that integrates techniques such as genetics, molecular and cellular biology, calcium imaging, and electrophysiology to decipher the receptors and sensory cells that enable animals to sense the features of potential food. Additionally, we map the neural circuits in the brain that process these taste sensations and drive feeding decisions.

Our ultimate goal is to unravel the molecular, cellular, and neural mechanisms underlying food intake. Given the similarity between mammals and insects in the fundamental principles governing food consumption, insights gleaned from our work can serve as a roadmap to guide our understanding of feeding mechanisms in humans. Furthermore, understanding the regulation of food preferences can provide valuable insights into health issues such as obesity and diabetes.

Selected Publications

Mi, T., Mack, J.O., Koolmees, K., Quinn, L., Yochimowitz, L., Teng, Z. Q., Jiang, P., Montell, C., Zhang, Y.V.: Alkaline taste sensation through the alkaliphile chloride channel in Drosophila (Cover Article and Highlighted in Nature). Nature Metabolism 5: 466-480, March 2023.

Mi, T., Mack, J.O., Lee, C.M., and Zhang, Y.V.: Molecular and cellular basis of acid taste sensation in Drosophila. Nature Communications June 2021.

Zhang, Y. V. Aikin, T. J. Li, Z. Montell, C.: The Basis of Food Texture Sensation in Drosophila. Neuron 91(4): 863-877, August 2016.

Liman, E. R. Zhang, Y. V. Montell, C.: Peripheral coding of taste. Neuron 81(5): 984-1000, March 2014.

Zhang, Y. V. Raghuwanshi, R. P. Shen, W. L. Montell, C.: Food experience-induced taste desensitization modulated by the Drosophila TRPL channel. Nature Neuroscience 16(10): 1468-76, October 2013.

Zhang, Y. V. Ni, J. Montell, C.: The molecular basis for attractive salt-taste coding in Drosophila. Science 340(6138), June 2013.

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Last updated: 03/20/2024
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