Miriam Goodman

Title
Assistant Professor

Department
Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Research Interests
Molecular mechanisms of mechanosensation and thermosensation, combining genetic analysis with in vivo whole-cell patch clamp recording, single cell PCR, quantitative behavioral analysis in C. elegans.

Email
mbgoodman@stanford.edu

Phone
723-3100

Fax
725-8021

Address
Beckman B111B
Mail Code: 5345

Faculty Research Description
Sensation relies on specialized sensory cells that convert physical stimuli into electrical signals. Research in my lab is focused on understanding the molecular and cellular basis of this process in cells that detect force and heat. Mammals have tens of thousands of sensory cells distributed throughout the body, embedded deep within the skin and muscles and in the inner ear. By comparison, the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, has only 26 mechanosensory cells and only 2 thermosensory cells. Genetic and genomic approaches in C. elegans have identified a number of genes whose products may be essential for the normal function of both mechanosensory and thermosensory neurons. The precise role played by these proteins in sensory transduction and/or signaling, however, remains unclear. We study these questions using in vivo electrical recordings to analyze how gene mutations affect sensory transduction. To compliment this in vivo approach and to understand the sequence of molecular events that give rise to sensation, we also study sensory ion channels and receptor proteins in heterologous expression systems.

Goodman MB, Ernstrom GG, Chelur D, O'Hagan R, Yao CA, Chalfie M. MEC-2 regulates C. elegans DEG/ENaC channels needed for mechanosensation. Nature, in press

Chelur D, Goodman MB, Ernstrom, GG, Yao CA, O'Hagan R, Chen L, Chalfie M. The mechanosensory protein MEC-6 is a subunit of C. elegans touch-cell degenerin channel. (submitted).

Goodman MB, Lockery SR. Pressure polishing: a method for re-shaping patch-pipettes during fire-polishing. J Neurosci Meth 100: 13-15, 2000.

Lockery SR, Goodman MB. Tight-seal whole-cell patch clamping of C. elegans neurons. Meth Enzymol 293: 201-217, 1998

Goodman MB, Hall DH, Avery L, Lockery SR. Active currents regulate dynamic range in C. elegans neurons. Neuron 20: 763-772, 1998.

Areas of Study
Cellular Neurobiology
Membrane Excitability
Molecular Neurobiology
SBRC
Ph.D.