Comzit Opachaloemphan Ph.D.

  • B.Sc., Biology, Chulalongkorn University
  • M.Sc. (Biology) New York University, USA
  • Ph.D. (Cell Biology)
    New York University Grossman School of Medicine, USA

Office : 1011 Srisavarindira Bldg. 10th Fl. Department of Biochemistry. Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital , Bangkoknoi, Bangkok 10700

Laboratory : 923 Srisavarindira Bldg. 9rd Fl.

Phone : (02) 419-8583

E-Mail : comzit.opa@mahidol.ac.th

Research

My core research interest lies at the intersection of aging, lipid metabolism, and the endocrine function of adipose tissue. I am particularly fascinated by how specific metabolic hubs—such as adipocytes—coordinate the evolutionary trade-off between energy expenditure (like reproduction) and longevity. Inspired by recent discoveries in the caste-switching ants, my focus centers on the tissue-specific bifurcation of the insulin signaling pathway.

Research has shown that the insect fat body (the functional analog to mammalian liver and adipose tissue) can simultaneously upregulate lipid synthesis for reproduction via the MAPK pathway, while suppressing the senescence-driving AKT/FOXO pathway via target-specific anti-insulins (like Imp-L2). This remarkable biological phenomenon offers a novel model for aging research.

1. Yan, H., Opachaloemphan, C., Mancini, G., Liebig, J., Berger, S., Desplan, C., & Reinberg, D. (2016, September). Role of insulin-like peptides in regulating reproduction and longevity in the ant Harpegnathos saltator. In 2016 International Congress of Entomology. ESA.
2. Yan, H., Opachaloemphan, C., Mancini, G., Yang, H., Gallitto, M., Mlejnek, J., Leibholz, A., Haight, K., Ghaninia, M., Huo, L., Perry, M., Slone, J., Zhou, X., Traficante, M., Penick, C. A., Dolezal, K., Gokhale, K., Stevens, K., Fetter-Pruneda, I., … Desplan, C. (2017). An engineered orco mutation produces aberrant social behavior and defective neural development in ants. Cell, 170(4), 736–747.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.06.051
3. Yan, H., Opachaloemphan, C., Mancini, G., Yang, H., Gallitto, M., Mlejnek, J., Haight, K., Ghaninia, M., Huo, L., Leibholz, A., Slone, J., Zhou, X., Traficante, M., Penick, C. A., Dolezal, K., Gokhale, K., Stevens, K., Fetter-Pruneda, I., Bonasio, R., … Desplan, C. (2017). Olfactory receptors are required for social behavior and neural plasticity in ants, as evidenced by CRISPR-mediated gene knockout [Preprint]. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/142232
4. Opachaloemphan, C., Yan, H., Leibholz, A., Desplan, C., & Reinberg, D. (2018). Recent advances in behavioral (epi)genetics in eusocial insects. Annual Review of Genetics, 52, 489–510. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-genet-120116-024456
5. Penick, C. A., Ghaninia, M., Haight, K. L., Opachaloemphan, C., Yan, H., Reinberg, D., & Liebig, J. (2021). Reversible plasticity in brain size, behaviour and physiology characterizes caste transitions in a socially flexible ant (Harpegnathos saltator). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1948), 20210141. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0141
6. Opachaloemphan, C., Mancini, G., Konstantinides, N., Parikh, A., Mlejnek, J., Yan, H., Reinberg, D., & Desplan, C. (2021). Early behavioral and molecular events leading to caste switching in the ant Harpegnathos. Genes & Development, 35(5–6), 410–424. https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.343699.120
7. Sieber, K., Saar, M., Opachaloemphan, C., Gallitto, M., Yang, H., & Yan, H. (2021). Embryo injections for CRISPR-mediated mutagenesis in the ant Harpegnathos saltator. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 168, e61930. https://doi.org/10.3791/61930
8. Sieber, K., Saar, M., Opachaloemphan, C., Gallitto, M., Yang, H., & Yan, H. (2021). Inyecciones de embriones para la mutagénesis mediada por CRISPR en el saltador de la hormiga Harpegnathos. Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), (168), e61930.
9. Yan, H., Opachaloemphan, C., Carmona-Aldana, F., Mancini, G., Mlejnek, J., Descostes, N., Sieriebriennikov, B., Leibholz, A., Zhou, X., Ding, L., Traficante, M., Desplan, C., & Reinberg, D. (2022). Insulin signaling in the long-lived reproductive caste of ants. Science (New York, N.Y.), 377(6610), 1092–1099. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm8767
10. Yan, H., Opachaloemphan, C., Carmona-Aldana, F., Mancini, G., Mlejnek, J., Descostes, N., Sieriebriennikov, B., Leibholz, A., Zhou, X., Ding, L., Traficante, M., Desplan, C., & Reinberg, D. (2022). Insulin signaling and extended longevity in ants [Preprint]. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.25.497611
11. Opachaloemphan, C., Carmona-Aldana, F., & Yan, H. (2022). Caste transition and reversion in Harpegnathos saltator ant colonies. In Methods in Molecular Biology (Vol. 2521, pp. 263–278). Humana. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2440-8_16
12. Opachaloemphan, C., Nomura, K., & He, S. Y. (2024, May). Impacts of high humidity on Arabidopsis plants and Pseudomonas syringae virulence. In MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS (Vol. 37, No. 5, pp. 81-81). 3340 PILOT KNOB ROAD, ST PAUL, MN 55121 USA: AMER PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOC.
13. Opachaloemphan, C., & He, S. Y. (2025). A natural defense against plant disease: Wild citrus plants contain a natural defense against a devastating bacterial disease. Science, 388(6743), 149–150. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adx0306
14. Zhang, X. Y., Li, S., Opachaloemphan, C., Zhang, C. X., He, S. Y., & Jiang, Y. (2025). Augmenting rice ANNEXIN expression to counter planthopper NlAnnexin-like5 as an antivirulence strategy against a major crop pest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(41), e2505698122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2505698122
15. Zhang, X.-Y., Li, S., Opachaloemphan, C., Zhang, C.-X., He, S. Y., & Jiang, Y. (2025). Augment rice ANNEXIN expression to counter planthopper NlAnnexin-like5 as an anti-virulence strategy against a major crop pest [Preprint]. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.18.670976
16. Opachaloemphan, C., Hilleary, R., Wu, N., Kuan, C., Nomura, K., & He, S. Y. (2026). The FERONIA receptor kinase is required for high humidity responses in Arabidopsis [Preprint]. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.24.720662