Ina Anreiter

Campus

UTSC

CSB Appointment

Full

Research Areas

Animal Biology, Genetics / Genomics, Molecular Biology, Neurobiology

Education

PhD University of Toronto 2019
MSc Universidade Nova de Lisboa 2012
BSc Universidade Técnica de Lisboa 2010

Primary Undergraduate Department

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Graduate Programs

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Cell & Systems Biology

Research Description

Every individual differs in how they or their body responds to an experience. Our lab is interested in understanding understanding where these differences originate at the biological level. Every individual is born with a fixed of genes, the activity of those genes (e.g., their expression) can change in response to experience (e.g. stress). To understand what makes individuals behave differently, we look at genes with specific functions in development and behaviour and what affects their expression. Our work tries to explain the molecular pathways through which the environment interacts with genes, the long-term effects of these interactions, and differences between individuals and sexes. To answer these questions, we use the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as a model organism to study processes of gene regulation that influence development, physiology, and behaviour.  A particular focus of our lab lies in behavioural epigenetics and epitrancriptomics, or the deposition of chemical marks on DNA , histones, and RNA.  Our work combines classical genetics, molecular biology, transcriptomics, behavioural assays, and bioinformatics.