Ass.Prof. Dr. Jana Haase
School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences
UCD Conway Institute
University College Dublin

Program

"Sex specific serotonin transporter regulation in inflammation induced depression"

In this seminar, Dr Haase will discuss recent work on the sex-specific regulation of SERT during chronic inflammation. Using a clinically relevant mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, her research demonstrates TNF-dependent depressive-like behavior and increased hippocampal SERT activity in males, effects that are absent in females. New quantitative proteomic data indicate that these differences are driven by divergent MAPK signaling and ceramide/sphingomyelin pathways, providing important insights into sex-dependent mechanisms linking inflammation and depression.

Biographical Sketch

Dr Jana Haase is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science at University College Dublin. She received her PhD in Biochemistry from the Freie Universität Berlin and completed postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and Trinity College Dublin, with subsequent research visits to Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Her research focuses on the molecular regulation of neurotransmitter transporters, particularly the serotonin transporter (SERT), and their role in neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, addiction, and autism spectrum disorders. Her work has identified novel mechanisms of serotonin transporter regulation, including lipid raft association, sex-specific regulation, and modulation by neuroinflammatory pathways. She has published extensively in leading neuroscience and pharmacology journals and holds several academic leadership roles within UCD.

Host: Daniela POLLAK

Contact for questions: Helmut KUBISTA