RUI: Crustacean Pigment-Dispersing Neuropeptide Hormones: Heterogeneity, Actions, and Distribution

最近的证据，主要来自对脊椎动物的研究，表明荷尔蒙蛋白质和多肽以“家族”的形式出现。每个家族都包含结构上相关的分子，其中两个或两个以上可能存在于单个物种中，或存在于一个系统类群中的不同物种之间，甚至存在于不同动物门的代表之间。当代研究证实了阐明多肽家族的一致性和变异性的结构基础以及这些激素之间的功能和进化关系的重要性。这个项目的重点是一个新发现的从甲壳类和昆虫来源中分离出来的多肽家族。由于评估其细胞作用的简单性，这个无脊椎动物激素家族是评估多肽激素控制机制、功能关系和激素-受体相互作用的极佳模型。该项目涉及从螃蟹、对虾和小龙虾等代表性物种中分离、表征和化学合成色素分散激素(PDHs)。纯化的和合成的激素将在不同的生物测定系统中进行相对效力测试。通过放射免疫分析的方法，在不同的实验条件下监测血液和神经内分泌组织中的激素水平。将使用免疫细胞化学测试来定位具有代表性的甲壳类动物以及选定的无脊椎动物物种中产生激素的细胞。根据上述领域的进展，还将开展研究，以评估激素-受体相互作用的分子基础。从这些研究中获得的知识对于那些研究其他无脊椎动物和脊椎动物的神经肽的人来说是比较有兴趣的。从这里使用的简单无脊椎动物系统中得出的推论对于理解激素分子多样性和作用的基本机制将是有价值的。该项目将为研究生和本科生提供参与一个快速发展的研究领域的主流研究的机会，从而为他们在科学和生物技术领域的职业发展做出贡献。

Recent evidence, derived largely from studies on vertebrates, indicates that hormonal proteins and peptides occur as "families." Each family contains structurally related molecules, two or more of which may be found in a single species, or among diverse species in a phyletic group, or even among representatives of diverse animal phyla. Contemporary research attests to the importance of elucidating the structural basis of the consistancy and variability in peptide families as well as the functional and evolutionary relationships among such hormones. This project focuses on a newly discovered family of peptides isolated from crustacean and insect sources. Because of the simplicity in assessing its cellular actions, this invertebrate hormone family serves as an excellent model for evaluating peptide hormone control mechanisms, functional relationships, and hormone- receptor interactions. This project involves the isolation, characterization, and chemical synthesis of pigment-dispersing hormones (PDHs) from representative species of crabs, prawns, and crayfish. The purified and synthetic hormones will be tested for their relative potencies in diverse bioassay systems. By means of radioimmunoassays, the hormone levels in blood and neuroendocrine tissues will be monitored under various experimental conditions. Immunocytochemical tests will be employed to localize hormone-producing cells in representative crustaceans as well as in selected species of invertebrates. Depending on the progress in the above areas, studies will also be carried out to evaluate the molecular basis of hormone-receptor interactions. The knowledge derived from these studies would be of comparative interest to those working with neuropeptides from other invertebrates and vertebrates. The inferences drawn from the simple invertebrate system employed here would be of value in understanding the basis mechanisms of hormonal molecular diversity and actions. This project will provide opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in mainstream research in a rapidly advancing research field, thereby contributing to their career advancement in science and biotechnology.