Organisms from bacteria to humans can experience dramatic changes in their internal and external environments. Therefore, tight regulation of inter-organ communication ensures appropriate whole-organism responses to changes in temperature, age, stress, hormonal status, diet, etc. How do tissues in complex, multicellular organisms effectively coordinate their  physiological responses to dynamic environmental conditions?

Dr. Alissa Armstrong has just been awarded a prestigious CAREER award of about $1.4 M over five years from the NSF to investigate how fat tissues and reproductive organs communicate and coordinate fat storage and utilization in relationship to oocyte production and nutritional status. Indeed, a complex network of inter-organ communication underlies whole organism physiological responses to dietary input dynamics. There is a clear association between dietary input and reproduction, wherein suboptimal nutritional conditions, such as malnutrition and obesity, negatively impact fertility. Specifically, fat cell dysfunction associated with diet-induced obesity leads to aberrant egg or oocyte production in organisms ranging from insects to humans. However, the fundamental principles linking nutritional physiology with oocyte production are not completely understood. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, the studies proposed by Dr. Armstrong will uncover how ovarian and fat tissues sense, respond to, and communicate about dietary input. Overall, her study will advance understanding of the role that multi-organ nutrient sensing plays in the organismal response to dietary changes.

In addition to the research goals, Dr. Armstrong will develop  a Columbia, South Carolina, community outreach program centered around the nutrient sensing research theme for K-12-aged children and their caregivers. The program will consist of hands-on activities that provide practical experience with science and engineering practices, as well as exposure to pathways to careers in biological research. The leaders of the research activities will receive valuable training in effective scientific communication. Congrats Alissa!