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

9815258 Sower该奖项支持新罕布什尔州大学的Stacie Sower教授和日本岩手北里大学的Hiroshi Kawauchi教授之间为期三年的合作研究项目。 研究人员将进行一项无颌类脑/垂体激素的遗传学研究。 目的是开发新的技术和洞察力的垂体激素（特别是促性腺激素，GTH）的分子分离七鳃鳗和八目鳗。 无颌纲七鳃鳗在理解内分泌关系方面特别重要，因为它们代表了现存脊椎动物中最古老的谱系之一，进化于5.5亿年前。 在这个项目中，无颌类被认为是并系起源，现代无颌类被分为两个组，myxinoids（八目鳗）和petromyzonids（七鳃鳗）。 在七鳃鳗中尚未发现促性腺激素、催乳素或生长激素，在八目鳗中也未发现垂体前叶激素。 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。美国研究人员的专长是神经内分泌学，日本研究人员的专长是生物化学。本研究的结果将为脊椎动物早期发育中激素的进化、基因复制的预测提供进一步的信息，并为解决盲鳗、七鳃鳗和有颌脊椎动物之间的系统发育关系提供信息。这项研究通过一名年轻科学家的参与促进了国际人力资源的发展。 通过交流思想和技术，该项目将扩大我们的基本知识基础，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.***