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Dr. Todd M. Hennessey

Professor
Hochstetter 610
phone: (716) 645-2363 ext: 194
e-mail: thennes@buffalo.edu
Further research info

Research Summary

We are using the unicellular eukaryotes Paramecium and Tetrahymena as model sensory cells to study the chemosensory pathways involved in cellular responses to depolarizing chemorepellents such as ATP, GTP, and polycations (such as lysozyme) as well as the mechanisms responsible for adaptation to these stimuli. We have also begun a collaboration with Dr David Pennock at Miami University in Ohio to generate and characterize knockout mutants of the various inner arm dynein heavy chain genes of Tetrahymena to help to understand the roles of the different ciliary dyneins in proper ciliary function.

Selected Publications

• Liu,S., Hennessey,T., Rankin,S. and Pennock,D.G. (2005) Mutations in genes encoding inner arm dynein heavy chains in Tetrahymena thermophila lead to axonemal hypersensitivity to Ca++. Cell Motil. & Cytoskel. 62(3):133-40.
• Hennessey,T.M. (2005). Responses of the ciliates Tetrahymena and Paramecium to external ATP and GTP. Purinergic Signaling 1: 101-110.
• Snyder RJ, Hennessey TM (2004) Cold tolerance and homeoviscous adaptation in freshwater alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus). Fish Physiol. Biochem. 29 (2): 117-126
• Liu,S., Hard,R., Rankin,S., Hennessey,T. and Pennock,D. (2004). Disruption of genes encoding inner arm dynein heavy chains causes motility phenotypes in Tetrahymena. Cell Motil. & Cytoskel. 59:201-214.
• Wood,C.R. and Hennessey,T.M. (2003). PPNDS is an agonist, not an antagonist, for the ATP receptor of Paramecium. J. Exp. Biol. 206:627-636.