Dysfunctional serotonergic neuromodulation in mood-regulating circuits underlies many psychiatric diseases, thusunderstanding regulation of serotonin (5-HT) transmission is of fundamental importance. The 5-HT transporter(SERT) clears 5-HT from extracellular fluid with high-affinity, and is considered a primary controller of the strengthand duration of 5-HT signaling. Our studies have revealed that organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3), a low-affinity,but high-capacity transporter of monoamines, plays a critical role in 5-HT clearance as well.

The skin is the outmost epithelial tissue of a body that is under frequent assaults ofenvironmental agents. To protect against the assaults and maintain the local tissueintegrity, immune cells need to be properly positioned in the skin. A group of immunecells, namely innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), are preferentially localized in the skin wherethey function as the first line of defense but can also contribute to the skin inflammatorydiseases such as topical dermatitis and psoriasis when dysregulated.

Aging is the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia inolder individuals. However, effective AD therapies remain elusive, which underscores the need to betterunderstand disease etiology and its co-occurrence with advanced age. The apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) allele isthe strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset AD and it is associated with decreased lifespan. The apoEprotein is crucial to lipid homeostasis through its regulation of cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipidmetabolism in the blood and the brain.