Michelle Bland
- Email: mlb2eg@virginia.edu
- Phone: 434-924-2378
- Fax: 434-982-3878
- Website: http://blandmichelle.wixsite.com/bland-lab
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Pharmacology
Education
- PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Research Disciplines
Genetics, Immunology, Metabolism, Molecular Pharmacology, Translational Science
Research Interests
Molecular mechanisms linking innate immune and insulin signaling to control cell growth and metabolism
Research Description
Our lab uses genetic approaches in flies and in mice to identify molecular mechanisms linking infection and innate immune signaling with disrupted growth and metabolism. We are working to identify transcriptional mechanisms that lead to decreased IGF1 and Dilp6 production in response to infection.
Our lab also identified that innate immune signaling induces phospholipid synthesis in a key immune organ, the fruit fly larval fat body, that is required for successfully combatting infection. We are working to identify components of the Toll signaling pathway that link infection with changes in cellular lipid metabolism.
A third major focus of the lab is to identify endocrine mechanisms that allow animals to adapt to distinct environmental challenges, whether due to infection or nutrient stress. Here we are working to determine roles of two highly related homologs, Dilp2, secreted by fourteen insulin-producing cells in the Drosophila larval brain, and Dilp6, secreted by the larval fat body, in regulating growth and metabolism.
Personal Statement
Our lab uses genetic approaches in flies and in mice to identify molecular mechanisms linking infection and innate immune signaling with disrupted growth and metabolism. We are working to identify transcriptional mechanisms that lead to decreased IGF1 and Dilp6 production in response to infection.
Our lab also identified that innate immune signaling induces phospholipid synthesis in a key immune organ, the fruit fly larval fat body, that is required for successfully combatting infection. We are working to identify components of the Toll signaling pathway that link infection with changes in cellular lipid metabolism.
A third major focus of the lab is to identify endocrine mechanisms that allow animals to adapt to distinct environmental challenges, whether due to infection or nutrient stress. Here we are working to determine roles of two highly related homologs, Dilp2, secreted by fourteen insulin-producing cells in the Drosophila larval brain, and Dilp6, secreted by the larval fat body, in regulating growth and metabolism.
Training
- Training in the Pharmacological Sciences
Selected Publications
2023
Suzawa, M., & Bland, M. L. (2023). Insulin signaling in development. DEVELOPMENT, 150(20). doi:10.1242/dev.201599
Bland, M. L. (2023). Regulating metabolism to shape immune function: Lessons from Drosophila. SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, 138, 128-141. doi:10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.002
2020
Martinez, B. A., Hoyle, R. G., Yeudall, S., Granade, M. E., Harris, T. E., Castle, J. D., . . . Bland, M. L. (2020). Innate immune signaling in Drosophila shifts anabolic lipid metabolism from triglyceride storage to phospholipid synthesis to support immune function. PLOS GENETICS, 16(11). doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1009192
Raje, V., Ahern, K. W., Martinez, B. A., Howell, N. L., Oenarto, V., Granade, M. E., . . . Harris, T. E. (2020). Adipocyte lipolysis drives acute stress-induced insulin resistance. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 10(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75321-0
Yuan, X., Sipe, C. W., Suzawa, M., Bland, M. L., & Siegrist, S. E. (2020). Dilp-2-mediated PI3-kinase activation coordinates reactivation of quiescent neuroblasts with growth of their glial stem cell niche. PLOS BIOLOGY, 18(5). doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000721
2019
Suzawa, M., Muhammad, N. M., Joseph, B. S., & Bland, M. L. (2019). The Toll Signaling Pathway Targets the Insulin-like Peptide Dilp6 to Inhibit Growth in Drosophila. CELL REPORTS, 28(6), 1439-+. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.015
2018
Roth, S. W., Bitterman, M. D., Birnbaum, M. J., & Bland, M. L. (2018). Innate Immune Signaling in Drosophila Blocks Insulin Signaling by Uncoupling PI(3,4,5)P3 Production and Akt Activation. CELL REPORTS, 22(10), 2550-2556. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2018.02.033
2016
Bland, M. L. (2016). Measurement of Carbon Dioxide Production from Radiolabeled Substrates in Drosophila melanogaster. JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS, (112). doi:10.3791/54045