Wong Lab
Principal Investigator: Chun Nin Adam Wong
Institution: University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
A central question in behavioral biology is how environmental and genetic factors shape behavioral traits, allowing for substantial individuality. Homeostatic behaviors like feeding and food preferences are prime examples of genetic predispositions interacting with the food environment to produce diverse feeding habits. However, these programs are further modified by host-associated microbes, suggesting the overall systems controlling behavioral phenotype is far more complex than first anticipated. The critical questions that remain to be addressed are: to what extent do host-microbe interactions contribute to individual differences in behavior? Specifically, how does gene regulation of behavior operate in the context of host-microbe symbiosis? Implicit in this question is the hypothesis that perturbation of host-microbe symbiosis results in aberrant behavioral outcomes in certain individuals or populations, a topic fundamental to human health yet unsolved. The goal of my research program is to define how behaviors are shaped by host-microbe interactions. My lab studies foraging and food choice behaviors in the fly Drosophila melanogaster, using a gnotobiotic system I developed tha…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R35GM147651-05: Molecular mechanisms underlying microbial modulation of host behavior (2026)
- 5R35GM147651-04: Molecular mechanisms underlying microbial modulation of host behavior (2025)
- 5R35GM147651-03: Molecular mechanisms underlying microbial modulation of host behavior (2024)
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