Joffre Mercier
Professor
Biological Sciences
Brock University
Canada
Biography
Dr. Joffre Mercier is affiliated to Biological Sciences, Brock University, where Dr. Joffre Mercier is currently working as Professor. Dr. Joffre Mercier has authored and co-authored several national and international publications and also working as a reviewer for reputed professional journals. Dr. Joffre Mercier is having an active association with different societies and academies around the world. Dr. Joffre Mercier made his mark in the scientific community with the contributions and widely recognition from honourable subject experts around the world. Dr. Joffre Mercier has received several awards for the contributions to the scientific community. Dr. Joffre Mercier major research interest involves Behavior in animals is produced by the central nervous system (CNS) and is strongly influenced by hormones that can act within the CNS, on neuromuscular targets and on visceral organs. The ultimate goal of my research is to understand the mechanisms through which hormones modulate behavior. My research program takes an integrated approach to this problem by studying behavior at the level of whole animals, identifying hormones and neurotransmitters that underlie behavior, and uncovering the mechanisms of action of hormones and transmitters at the cellular and sub-cellular levels. My students and I use crayfish and fruit flies as model systems for study because they have fewer nerve cells, and many of the nerve cells and even some muscle cells can be readily identified. Fruit flies provide additional advantages of a fully sequenced genome, as well as mutant and transgenic lines that can be used to test the involvement of specific genes and proteins in the functions of nerve and muscle cells..
Research Interest
Behavior in animals is produced by the central nervous system (CNS) and is strongly influenced by hormones that can act within the CNS, on neuromuscular targets and on visceral organs. The ultimate goal of my research is to understand the mechanisms through which hormones modulate behavior. My research program takes an integrated approach to this problem by studying behavior at the level of whole animals, identifying hormones and neurotransmitters that underlie behavior, and uncovering the mechanisms of action of hormones and transmitters at the cellular and sub-cellular levels. My students and I use crayfish and fruit flies as model systems for study because they have fewer nerve cells, and many of the nerve cells and even some muscle cells can be readily identified. Fruit flies provide additional advantages of a fully sequenced genome, as well as mutant and transgenic lines that can be used to test the involvement of specific genes and proteins in the functions of nerve and muscle cells.
Publications
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Mercier, A.J., May, H.Y. (2010) Recording behavioral responses to reflection in crayfish. JoVE 39.
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Klose, M.K., Dason, J., Boulianne, G.L., Atwood, H.L., Mercier, A.J. (2010) Peptide-induced modulation of synaptic transmission and escape response in Drosophila requires two G-protein coupled receptors. J. Neurosci. 30: 14724-14734.
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Cooper, A.S., Leksrisawat, B., Mercier, A.J., Cooper, R.L. (2011) Physiological experimentation with the crayfish hindgut: a student laboratory exercise. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 47.
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Tattersall, G.J., Luebbert, J.P., LePine, O.K., Ormerod, K.G., Mercier, A.J. (2012) Competition for temperature in crayfish is reinforced in established social hierarchies. J. Exp. Biol. 215: 1892-1904.
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Ormerod, K.G., Rogasevskaia, T., Coorssen, J.R., Mercier, A.J. (2012) Cholesterol-independent effects of methyl-ß-cyclodextrin on chemical synapses. PLoS One 7: e36395.
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Ruder, T., Ali, S., Ormerod, K., Brust, A., Manchadi, M.-L., Ventura, S., Undheim, E., Jackson, T., Mercier, A.J., King, G.F., Alewood, P.F., Fry, B.G. (2013) Functional characterization of tachykinin peptides from octopus venoms on invertebrate and vertebrate tissues. Peptides 47: 71-76.
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Ormerod, K.G., Hadden, J.K., Deady, L.D., Mercier, A.J., Krans, J.L. (2013) The action of octopamine on muscles of Drosophila melanogaster larvae. J. Neurophysiol. 110: 1984-1996.
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Milakovic, M., Klose, M., Ormerod, K.G., Mercier, A.J. (2014) Mode of action of a DrosophilaFMRFamide in inducing muscle contraction. J. Exp. Biol. 217, 1725-1736.
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Ormerod, K.G., Krans, J.L., Mercier, A.J. (2015) Cell-selective modulation of the Drosophila neuromuscular system by a neuropeptide. J. Neurophysiol. 113: 1631-1643.
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Ormerod, K.G., LePine, O.K., Shahid Bhutta, M., Jung, J.H., Tattersall, G.J., Mercier, A.J. (2016). Characterizing the physiological and behavioural roles of proctolin in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Neurophysiol., 115: 568-580.
