Publications
2024
Allard, C.A., Herbert, A.L., Krueger, S.P., Liang, Q., Walsh, B.L., Rhyne, A., Gourlay, A., Seminara, A., Baldwin, M.W., Kingsley, D.M. and Bellono, N., 2023. Evolution of novel sensory organs in fish with legs. Current Biology
How do animals evolve new traits? Sea robins are fish that possess specialized leg-like appendages used to “walk” along the sea floor. Here, we show that legs are bona fide sense organs that localize buried prey.
2024
Herbert, A.L., Allard, C.A., McCoy, M.J., Wucherpfennig, J.I., Krueger, S.P., Chen, H.I., Gourlay, A.N., Jackson, K.D., Abbo, L.A., Bennett, S.H., Sears, J.D., Rhyne, A.L., Bellono, N.W. and Kingsley, D. M. Ancient developmental genes underlie evolutionary novelties in walking fish. Current Biology
We probe the genetic basis of trait gain in sea robin fish, which have evolved specialized leg-like appendages for locomotion and digging along the ocean floor.
2023
He, L.S., Qi, Y., Allard, C.A., Valencia-Montoya, W.A., Krueger, S.P., Weir, K., Seminara, A. and Bellono, N.W., 2023. Molecular tuning of sea anemone stinging. Elife, 12, p.RP88900.
This study compares anemones and jellyfish from distinct ecological niches to discover specific ion channel adaptations that drive distinct stinging behavior.
2023
Kang, G., Allard, C.A.H., Valencia-Montoya, W.A., van Giesen, L., Kim, J.J., Kilian, P.B., Bai, X., Bellono, N.W., Hibbs, R.E. 2023. Sensory specializations drive octopus and squid behavior. Nature, 616(7956), pp. 373-377.
Here we discover ancient chemotactile receptors in squid, determine their structure, and compare with octopus receptors to understand how adaptation in protein structure drives the diversification of organismal behavior.
2023
Allard, C.A.H., Kang, G., Kim, J.J., Valencia-Montoya, W.A., Hibbs, R.E., and Bellono, N.W. 2023. Structural basis of sensory receptor evolution in octopus. Nature, 616(7956), pp. 378-383.
In this study, we determine the structure of an octopus chemotactile receptor and compare with ancestral neurotransmitter receptors to reveal evolutionary origins of sensation.
2020
van Giesen, L., Kilian, P.B., Allard, C.A. and Bellono, N.W., 2020. Molecular basis of chemotactile sensation in octopus. Cell, 183(3), pp.594-604.
This study reports that octopus arms use a family of cephalopod-specific chemotactile receptors (CRs) to detect poorly soluble natural products, thereby defining a form of contact-dependent, aquatic chemosensation.
2020
Redhai, S., Pilgrim, C., Gaspar, P., Giesen, L.V., et al., 2020. An intestinal zinc sensor regulates food intake and developmental growth. Nature, 580(7802), pp.263-268.
This study discovers Hodor, a zinc ionotropic receptor in the gut that sustains larval development, particularly in nutrient-scarce conditions.
2017
Bellono, N.W., Bayrer, J.R., Leitch, D.B., Castro, J., Zhang, C., O’Donnell, T.A., Brierley, S.M., Ingraham, H.A. and Julius, D., 2017. Enterochromaffin cells are gut chemosensors that couple to sensory neural pathways. Cell, 170(1), pp.185-198.
This work exploits intestinal organoids to ask how the gut epithelium detects irritants, microbial metabolites, and hormones and transmits information to the nervous system.
2014
Bellono, N.W., Escobar, I.E., Lefkovith, A.J., Marks, M.S. and Oancea, E., 2014. An intracellular anion channel critical for pigmentation. Elife, 3, p.e04543.
Direct patch-clamp of skin and eye melanosomes identifies a novel chloride-selective anion conductance mediated by OCA2 and required for melanin production underlying skin, eye, and hair color.
2013
Bellono, N.W., Kammel, L.G., Zimmerman, A.L. and Oancea, E., 2013. UV light phototransduction activates transient receptor potential A1 ion channels in human melanocytes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(6), pp.2383-2388.
This study probes the molecular mechanism underlying how skin cells acutely respond to UV light to increase pigmentation.
