U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: Phylogeny of Brain/Pituitary Hormones of Agnathans

9815258Sower 该奖项支持新罕布什尔大学 Stacie Sower 教授和日本岩手县北里大学 Hiroshi Kawauchi 教授之间为期三年的合作研究项目。 研究人员将对无颌动物的大脑/垂体激素的系统发育进行研究。 目标是开发关于七鳃鳗和盲鳗垂体激素（特别是促性腺激素，GTH）分子分离的新技术和见解。 无颌类七鳃鳗对于理解内分泌关系特别重要，因为它们代表了现存脊椎动物最古老的谱系之一，已在 5.5 亿年前进化。 在这个项目中，无颌动物被认为是并系起源，现代无颌动物分为两类：粘液类（盲鳗）和石盲鳗（七鳃鳗）。 尚未在七鳃鳗中发现促性腺激素、催乳素或生长激素，也没有在盲鳗中发现垂体前叶激素。 该项目汇集了两个具有互补专业知识和研究能力的实验室的努力。美国研究人员的专业知识是神经内分泌学领域，日本研究人员的专业知识是生物化学领域。这项研究的结果应该为激素的进化、脊椎动物早期发育过程中基因复制的预测提供进一步的信息，并提供可能有助于解决盲鳗、七鳃鳗和有颌脊椎动物之间的系统发育关系的信息。这项研究通过年轻科学家的参与促进了国际人力资源的发展。 通过思想和技术的交流，该项目将拓宽我们的基础知识基础并促进国际理解与合作。***

9815258SowerThis award supports a three year collaborative research project between Professor Stacie Sower of the University of New Hampshire and Professor Hiroshi Kawauchi of the Kitasato University in Iwate, Japan. The researchers will be undertaking a study of phylogeny of brain/pituitary hormones of agnathans. The goal is to develop new techniques and insight on the molecular isolation of pituitary hormones (in particular, gonadotropins, GTH) in lampreys and hagfish. Lampreys of the class agnathans are of particular importance in understanding endocrinological relationships since they represent one of the oldest lineages of extant vertebrates which evolved over 550 million years ago. In this project, agnathans are considered to be paraphyletic in origin with the modern agnathans classified into two groups, myxinoids (hagfish) and petromyzonids (lamprey). The gonadotropins, prolactin or growth hormones have not yet been identified in lampreys and no anterior pituitary hormones have been identified in hagfish. This project brings together the efforts of two laboratories that have complementary expertise and research capabilities. The U.S. researchers' expertise is in the area of neuroendocrinology and the Japanese have expertise in biochemistry. Results of this research should provide further information for the evolution of the hormones, prediction of gene duplication during the early development of vertebrates and also provide information that may help in resolving the phylogenetic relationships between hagfish, lampreys and jawed vertebrates. This research advances international human resources through the participation of a younger scientist. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation.***