Janet Richmond Research Group

University of Illinois Chicago

How do nerve cells organize the molecular machinery that releases chemical messages at precisely the right moment? The lab investigates synaptic transmission, including the proteins that prepare vesicles for neurotransmitter release. Research uses the small worm C. elegans as a model for understanding the nervous system. Work on the protein clarinet examined how its activity organizes other proteins at the presynaptic active zone. These studies connect genetic and molecular mechanisms with the assembly and function of the machinery responsible for communication between neurons.