Melissa Vollrath
Assistant Professor
Department of Physiology
McGill University
Canada
Biography
Coordinates and teaches in PHGY209 Mammalian Physiology 1 and PHGY212 Introduction to Physiology Laboratory 1 Teaches in: PHGY 210 Mammalian Physiology 2, PHGY 213 Introduction to Physiology Laboratory 2, PHGY 314 Integrative Neuroscience, PHGY604 Responsible Conduct in Research, PHGY351 Techniques in Physiology
Research Interest
My research focuses on sensory cells, called hair cells, in the auditory and vestibular system. I am interested in understanding how these cells transduce sensory information using mechanically-gated ion channels and in understanding which genes are essential for their survival and regeneration. Our experimental approaches include electrophysiology and molecular biology using the mouse and zebrafish models.
Publications
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The micromachinery of mechanotransduction in hair cells. Vollrath MA, Kwan KY, Corey DP.
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The zebrafish pinball wizard gene encodes WRB, a tail-anchored-protein receptor essential for inner-ear hair cells and retinal photoreceptors. Lin SY, Vollrath MA, Mangosing S, Shen J, Cardenas E, Corey DP.
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Hair-Cell Mechanotransduction Persists in TRP Channel Knockout Mice. Wu X, Indzhykulian AA, Niksch PD, Webber RM, Garcia-Gonzalez M, Watnick T, Zhou J, Vollrath MA, Corey DP.
