Assistant Professor, Developmental Biology

B.A., Princeton University

Ph.D., Stanford University

A striking feature of the nervous system is its continual adaptation to environmental cues throughout the lifespan of an animal. Environmental stimuli trigger changes in neuronal activity that, in turn, induce transcriptional programs controlling adaptive modifications to neuronal circuitry. Stimulus-induced transcription is, however, a risky endeavor. During transcription, DNA is cut, unwound, and reannealed in a process that has the potential to create mutations. Across a lifetime, a neuron may undergo this process millions of times. How do animals balance the benefits of inducible transcription for plasticity with the intrinsic risks it poses to their genetic code? Our knowledge of genome integrity derives primarily from dividing cells grown in culture conditions. We lack a fundamental understanding of how neurons repair genomic insults in vivo and how the dynamic stimuli neurons receive further impinge on the genome. The Pollina Lab leverages tools and techniques from neuroscience, epigenetics, and DNA repair to advance our knowledge of genome fidelity in the nervous system. We characterize the pathways downstream of external signaling cues that preserve neuronal genomes in short- versus long-lived species. We examine how lifestyle factors, such as diet and sleep, impact signal-dependent transcription and genome repair across time. Ultimately, we aim to use this knowledge to design strategies that prevent or even correct molecular damage in aged and diseased neurons.