Research
I am interested in the molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms that support long-term memory, and how these processes are altered in neurodegenerative disease.
In my PhD, I studied the molecular and physiological mechanisms of long-term aversive memory formation in the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis.
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Behavioural analysis of long-term memory formation ability
Great pond snails (Lymnaea stagnalis) are bimodal breathers whose aerial respiratory behaviours can conditioned to result in a decrease in respiratory rate. However, not all animals display equal ability to learn, suggesting endogenous differences in LTM formation ability. I have developed methods to characterize and quantify these differences, as well as other Lymnaea behaviours, by establishing novel behavioural parameters associated with LTM formation and applying multidimensionality approaches to identify novel learning-prone animal behavioural states.
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Neural correlates of long-term memory formation
Long-term memory formation in Lymnaea stagnalis is associated with changes in the firing of the pacemaker neuron of the respiratory central pattern generator, RPeD1. Using sharp intracellular electrode recordings, I have characterized that long-term memory formation is correlated with specific electrophysiological states of RPeD1, and established the role of action potential shape in long-term memory-related alterations in RPeD1 electrophysiological properties.
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Proteomic identification of long-term memory-associated brain states
Sequencing our most recent CNS transcriptome (Dong, Bandura et al. BMC Genomics 2021) has opened up exciting new avenues for molecular research in this novel. I have leveraged this transcriptome to conduct proteomic analysis of long-term memory-related proteins and signaling pathways that are significantly regulated by conditioning as well as specific long-term memory formation to identify novel protein signaling pathways potentially critical to long-term memory formation.
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Skills
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Proficient in conducting behavioral tests with invertebrate models, I bring a creative and flexible approach to analyzing behavioral data. My experience extends to characterizing novel parameters from both manually-scored and automatically-detected behavioral data. In addition, I've crafted behavioral analysis pipelines in R and adapted software, including DeepLabCut, to intricate behavioral analyses in Lymnaea stagnalis, with potential applications in diverse organisms.
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As a trained single-cell electrophysiologist, I am experienced in both sharp intracellular electrode recording ex vivo and in vitro patch clamping. I am highly skilled at analyzing electrophysiological data and adapting existing analysis techniques to novel datasets using R.
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I bring extensive experience in sample preparation and data analysis of mass spectrometric data, including identification of proteins from raw MS files using MaxQuant and DIA-NN. I also have experience in assembling and annotating genome-guided and de novo transcriptomic data (Dong, Bandura et al. BMC Genomics, 2021).
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Proficient in functional annotation analysis, I have expertise in both transcriptomic and proteomic data functional annotation using GO, pathway, and STRING analysis. Furthermore, I am well-versed in sequence alignment and proficient in constructing and analyzing phylogenetic trees derived from sequence data.
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Demonstrating highly developed skills in cell culture, I have successfully worked with various cell lines, including SH-SY5Y and HEK293 cells, as well as primary cell cultures such as hippocampal and cortical neuronal cultures and enteric neural crest-derived cells. My experience extends to optimizing lipid-based transfection protocols and differentiation protocols across diverse cell types.
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My extensive experience encompasses Trizol and kit-based RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, and proficiency in both semi-quantitative and quantitative PCR. Additionally, I possess hands-on experience in designing and applying RNAi techniques in both in vivo and in vitro settings.
I am highly skilled in various biochemical techniques, including affinity pulldown, coimmunoprecipitation, and western blot.
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I have hands-on expertise in immunochemistry of cells and tissues, and proficiency in both upright and confocal fluorescence microscopy.
Publications
Haifan Gong, Raymond x Wong, Julia Bandura, James T. Rutka, Zhong-Ping Feng, Hong-Shuo Sun . Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 signaling in U251 cell migration and invasion involves calcineurin. Advanced Neurology 2023, 2(3), 334.
Andrew Barszczyk, Julia Bandura, Qi Zhang, Haitao Wang, Marielle Deurloo, Yasmin Ahmed, Aiping Dong, Paul Meister, Jeffrey Lee, Hong-Shuo Sun, Yufeng Tong, Zhong-Ping Feng. Caltubin regulates microtubule stability via Ca2+-dependent mechanisms favouring neurite regrowth. bioRxiv 2023.01.23.525163.
Haifan Gong, Julia Bandura, Guan-Lei Wang, Zhong-Ping Feng, Hong-Shuo Sun. Xyloketal B: a marine compound with medicinal potential. Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2021, 230.
Selena Meng, Rahmah Alanazi, Delphine Ji, Julia Bandura, Zhengwei Luo, Andrea Fleig, Zhong-Ping Feng, Hong-Shuo Sun. Role of TRPM7 kinase in cancer. Cell Calcium 2021, 96(June 2021).
Nancy Dong*, Julia Bandura*, Zhaolei Zhang, Yan Wang, Karine Labadie, Benjamin Noel, Angus Davison, Joris M. Koene, Hong-Shuo Sun, Marie-Agnès Coutellec, Zhong-Ping Feng. Ion channel profiling of the Lymnaea stagnalis ganglia via transcriptome analysis. BMC Genomics 2021, 22(18).
Jelena Popov, Julia Bandura, Filip Markovic, Rajka Borojevic, Varun Anipindi, Nikhil Pai, Elyanne M. Ratcliffe. Influence of bacterial components on the developmental programming of enteric neurons. Physiological Reports 2020, e14611.
Julia Bandura, Zhong-Ping Feng. Current understanding of the role of neuronal calcium sensor 1 in neurological disorders. Molecular Biology 2019, 56, 6080–6094.