William Gilly






		William Gilly Title Professor Department Biological Sciences Research Interests Physiology and cell biology of ion channels in nerve and muscle cells; neuromuscular systems, motor control and behavior in Cephalopod mollusks. Email lignje@leland.stanford.edu Phone (831)655-6219 Fax (831)375-0793 Address Hopkins Marine Station Mail Code: 5020 Faculty Research Description Professor Gilly's research program addresses areas of neurobiology ranging from molecular-level, biophysical analysis of channel function to studies of motor control involving specific motoneurons in behaviors of the living animal. His laboratory at Hopkins Marine Station primarily focuses on squid and other cephalopods. Biophysical aspects of channel function are carried out through studies of voltage-gated Na and K channels and of ionotropic glutamate receptors cloned from the squid nervous system and expressed in frog oocytes and insect cells. Native versions of these channels are also studied in the neurons that form the giant axon system. A major effort is directed towards elucidating mechanisms involved in the cellular regulation of properties, density, and spatial distribution of these channels. This includes interaction of channels with beta subunits and other proteins. Patch clamp techniques are combined with biochemical and cell biological methods to study function, biosynthesis and trafficking of specific channel subtypes. Pharmacological interactions between voltage-gated channels and novel toxins isolated from snails and scorpions, as well synthetic channel blockers are also studied. The in vivo roles of the squid giant axon and a parallel non-giant motor system are investigated through recordings during escape responses. Short- and long-term modifications of neuronal function and recruitment patterns are approached through physiological and behavioral studies. Compensation for temperature changes and the impacts of prey-capture experience are studied in adults and developing hatchlings, respectively. A new area of research is directed at defining the population structure of market squid (Loligo opalescens) stocks around Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands. This species is subjected to intense commercial fishing pressure in these areas, but we know little of its population biology. Nuclear microsatellite markers are being used to determine the extent of gene-flow between these populations and to infer migratory patterns that may either occur normally or in response to major El Nino events. Preuss T, Gilly W. (2000). Role of prey-capture experience in the development of the escape response in the squid Loligo opalescens: A physiological correlate in an identified neuron. J. Exp. Biol. 203:559-565. Neumeister H, Ripley B, Preuss T, Gilly W. (2000). Effects of temperature on escape jetting in the squid Loligo opalescens. J. Exp. Biol. 203:547-557. Rosenthal, J.J.C., Liu, T.I. and Gilly, W.F. (1997. A family of delayed-rectifier Kv1 cDNAs showing cell-type specific expression in the squid stellate ganglion/giant fiber lobe complex. J. Neuroscience 17: 5070-5079. Mathes, C., Rosenthal, J.J.C. and Gilly, W.F. (1997). Fast inactivation of potassium conductance in squid giant axon and its cell bodies. J. Gen. Physiol. 109: 435-448. McFarlane, M.B. and Gilly, W.F. (1996). Spatial localization and omega-Agatoxin IVA block of calcium channels in giant fiber lobe neurons of the squid, Loligo opalescens. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93: 5067-5071. Areas of Study Cellular Neurobiology Membrane Excitability Molecular Neurobiology SBRC Ph.D.