The Hollenbeck Lab is part of the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science at Purdue University. We are located on the second floor of Lilly Hall.
We study the life cycle of mitochondria in nerve cells: how they are transported over long distances within axons, how movement is regulated to deliver them to specific sites, and how their transport is coordinated with mitochondrial metabolism, fission and fusion. We have recently focused on how these processes are disrupted in neurodegenerative disease. We are also working on how mitochondria respond when cells are infected by vacuole-forming bacteria such as Legionella.
Movie: A close-up of segmental nerve 8 in the A4 segment of a live Drosophila larva, as shown in the header photo. Both stationary and moving mitochondria tagged with GFP can be observed. Credit: Hyun Sung
Header Photo: This live Drosophila larva expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP) targeted to mitochondria in motor neurons, revealing the brain (left) and the long segmental nerves running to their target muscles in the body wall. Using this live preparation, we can track the location and movement of mitochondria in the intact nervous system, as well as other features of their physiology, as seen in the movie above, at much higher magnification. Credit: Swathi Devireddy
