Andrew Steele delves into which brain systems coordinate circadian rhythms of activity, with a particular focus how the brain anticipates mealtime—a field that integrates hunger sensing, circadian rhythm, and time keeping. The team found that dopamine signaling is critical to entrain circadian feeding rhythms at a behavioral level. His research lab is extending the studies of dopamine pathways by creating genetically modified strains of mice that will allow the team to localize the dopamine cell populations, or circuits, required for regulating circadian rhythms in response to feeding. They are also investigating whether the same dopamine-D1R circuits are responsible for diet-induced obesity in lab mice. A recent student-led project determined that mice lacking D1R are completely resistant to weight gain on a high fat diet.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health, SC3 Award, the project will create and characterize the food anticipatory activity of a series of dopamine receptor 1 and dopamine-production mutants to delineate the dopamine-D1r circuitry of food entrainment, $435,000 ($300,000 direct cost), Feb. 2018 – Jan. 2022
- Principal Investigator, Whitehall Foundation Award; Marking and mapping dopamine neuronal circuitry contributing to circadian rhythms using CLARITY and examining circadian gene expression rhythms in the striatum of mice on scheduled feeding to determine the transcriptional response required for food entrainment; $225,000; Sept. 2016 – Aug. 2019
- California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology New Investigator Award, $15,000, 2014-2015
- Cal Poly Pomona President’s Award for Creative and Scholarly Activities, $10,000, 2014-2017
- Klarman Eating Disorders Award, $200,000, July 2010-June 2012
- Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Award, $400,000, Nov. 2009-Oct. 2013
Selected Publications:
- With D. Assali, C.T. Hsu, K. Gunapala and A. Aguayo, “Food anticipatory activity on a calorie restricted diet is independent of Sirt1,” PLoS ONE 13(6): e0199586, 2018
- With A. Aguayo, C.M. Martin, T.F. Huddy, M. Ogawa-Okada and J.L. Adkins, “Sex differences in circadian food anticipatory activity are not altered by individual manipulations of sex hormones or sex chromosome copy number in mice,” PLoS ONE 13(1): e0191373, 2018
- With M. Michalik and R.E. Mistlberger, “A sex difference in circadian food-anticipatory rhythms in mice: Interaction with dopamine D1 receptor knockout. Behavioral Neuroscience Jun;129(3):351-60, 2015
- With R.E. Mistlberger, “Activity is a slave to many masters,” eLife 10.7554/eLife.06351, 2015
- With C.M. Gallardo, M. Darvas, M. Oviatt, C. Chang, M. Michalik, T.F. Huddy, E.E. Meyer, S.A. Shuster, A. Aguayo, E.M. Hill, K. Kiani, J. Ikpeazu, J.S. Martinez, M. Purpura, A.N. Smit, D. Paton, R.E. Mistlberger and R. Palmiter, “Dopamine receptor 1 neurons in the dorsal striatum regulate food anticipatory circadian activity rhythms in mice,” eLife e03781, 2014
- With C.G. Gallardo, C.T. Hsu, K.M. Gunapala, M. Parfyonov, C.H. Chang and R.E. Mistlberger, “Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Acute and Scheduled Hunger in C57BL/6 Mice,” PLoS ONE 9(5): e95990, 2014
- With C.G. Gallardo and K.M. Gunapala and O.D. King, “Daily scheduled high fat meals moderately entrain behavioral anticipatory activity, body temperature, and hypothalamic c-Fos activation,” PLoS ONE 7(7): e41161, 2012
- With M. Luby, C.T. Hs, S.A. Shuster, C.M. Gallardo, R. Mistlberger and O.D. King, “Food anticipatory activity behavior of mice across a wide range of circadian and non-circadian intervals,” PLoS ONE 7(5): e37992, 2012
- With K.M. Gunapala, C.M. Gallardo and C.T. Hsu, “Single gene deletions of orexin, leptin, neuropeptide y, and ghrelin do not appreciably alter food anticipatory activity in mice,” PLoS ONE 6(3): e18377, 2011
Education:
A.B., Biology, University of Chicago
Ph.D., Neurobiology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology