Susan L. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Research Fellow, Section on Molecular Neuroscience,
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Room 2A03
5 Research Court
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (301) 402-4213
Fax: (301) 480-8019
E-mail: sullivas@nidcd.nih.gov
Dr. Sullivan received a B.S. degree from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. degree from Columbia University. Her Ph.D. studies were conducted with Dr. Max Gottesman and focused on transcriptional regulation. After her Ph.D., she did a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Linda Buck at Harvard University where she studied information coding in the mammalian olfactory system. In 1996, Dr. Sullivan joined the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the NIDCD where she initiated her current studies on taste receptors and taste cell signal transduction pathways.
Research Statement
Our research is focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and function of the mammalian olfactory system. The initial step in olfactory processing occurs within the olfactory epithelium where odorants bind to odorant receptors present on the surface of olfactory sensory neurons. Odorant receptors are G-protein coupled receptors which are encoded by members of a large multigene family consisting of up to 1000 genes. Each odorant receptor gene is expressed in a small subpopulation of olfactory sensory neurons that are widely distributed in the olfactory epithelium. Despite their wide distribution in the olfactory epithelium, neurons that express a given odorant receptor gene project their axons to highly circumscribed regions of the olfactory bulb. Thus, at the level of the olfactory bulb, odorant receptor input is highly organized generating a precise spatial map of olfactory information.
Current research is directed toward the identification of axonal guidance and target recognition molecules that direct the establishment of this spatial map of information within the olfactory bulb. We have identified and are analyzing several molecules that may be involved in this process based on their early developmental expression by olfactory sensory neurons and/or their synaptic partners in the olfactory bulb. A second area of research is the molecular characterization of the large family of odorant receptors. A heterologous cell expression system is being developed in order to study the functional properties of odorant receptors including ligand specificity, G-protein coupling and selectivity, and ligand-dependent modifications.
Employment Opportunities
Postdoctoral positions are available to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and function of the mammalian olfactory system using molecular genetic and gene targeting techniques. Candidates should have a strong background in molecular biology and a Ph.D. and/or M.D. with less than five years of postdoctoral experience. Interested candidates should forward a CV and names of three references to:
Dr. Susan L. SullivanNIH/NIDCD
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Room 2A03
5 Research Court
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 301-402-4213
Fax: 301-480-8019
E-mail: sullivas@nidcd.nih.gov
Selected Publications
- Li H, Wu DK, Sullivan SL. Characterization and expression of sema4g, a novel member of the semaphorin gene family. Mechanisms of Development 87(1-2):169-173, 1999.
- Sullivan SL, Adamson MC, Ressler KJ, Kozak CA, Buck LB. The chromosomal distribution of mouse odorant receptor genes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 93:884-888, 1996.
- Sullivan SL, Dryer L. Information processing in the mammalian olfactory system. Journal of Neurobiology 30:20-36, 1996.
- Sullivan SL, Bohm S, Ressler KJ, Horowitz LF, Buck LB. Target-independent pattern specification in the olfactory epithelium. Neuron 15:779-789, 1995.
- Sullivan SL, Ressler KJ, Buck LB. Spatial patterning and information coding in the olfactory system. Current Opinion in Genetics and Development 5:516-523, 1995.
- Ressler KJ, Sullivan SL, Buck LB. Information coding in the olfactory system: Evidence for a stereotyped and highly organized epitope map in the olfactory bulb. Cell 79:1245-1255, 1994.