Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Hormones and Body Size Evolution in Old World Monkeys

这项研究调查了旧大陆猴子身体大小差异的激素原因，重点是狒狒和它们的近亲。体型在生物学和生物人类学中是一个极其重要的变量。对东半球猴子体型差异原因的分析可以揭示一些关于生长发育模式的重要科学问题。此外，内分泌学的最新进展挑战了长期以来关于激素在生长控制中的作用，并最终导致成人体型的观点。该研究项目提出了一些假设，这些假设预测了灵长类动物的激素控制生长，并直接应用于人类的生长和发育。具体来说，该研究提出了三个主要假设。首先，我们预计在发育过程中生长调节激素的血清水平与成人的体型无关，无论是种间还是种内。其次，在种间和种内，激素的组织表达和受体的数量和亲和力随着大小的变化和成虫的大小而变化。第三，本研究评估了一个假设，即参与体重发育的激素提供了关于系统发育的可靠信息，因此是发育同源性可能发生或被识别的机制。这些假设在新兴的激素作用模型的背景下进行了测试，这些模型优先考虑组织水平的过程，并提出了内分泌轴的次要作用。使用圈养灵长类动物的大量血清样本进行分析。数据将通过各种复杂的统计技术进行定量分析。这些分析将有助于确定生长激素与生长、发育以及成体大小和形状的关系。此外，该研究还可以直接应用于人类生物医学领域，因为所分析的灵长类动物可以作为人类激素生长和发育的极其重要的模型。对老龄化研究的影响也将被考虑。

This study investigates the hormonal causes of differences in body size in Old World monkeys, with an emphasis on baboons and their close relatives. Body size is an extremely important variable in biology and in biological anthropology. Analyses of why size differs in Old World monkeys can shed light on a number of important scientific questions regarding patterns of growth and development. In addition, recent advances in endocrinology have challenged longstanding ideas about the role of hormones in growth control, and ultimately in resulting adult size. This research project addresses hypotheses that make predictions about hormonal control of growth in primates, with direct application to human growth and development. Specifically, the research addresses three primary hypotheses. First, it is expected that serum levels of growth-regulatory hormones during development are independent of adult body size, both inter- and intraspecifically. Second, it is expected that tissue expression of hormones and receptor number and affinity covary with size change and adult size, both inter- and intraspecifically. Third, the research evaluates the hypothesis that hormones involved in body mass development provide reliable information about phylogeny, and are therefore mechanisms by which developmental homology may occur or be recognized. These hypotheses are tested in the context of emerging models of hormone action that prioritize processes at the tissue level, and suggest a secondary role for endocrine axes. Analyses are conducted using a large set of serum samples from captive primates. Data will be analyzed quantitatively through a variety of sophisticated statistical techniques. These analyses will help determine the relations of growth hormones to growth, development, as well as to adult size and shape. In addition, the research has direct applications to human biomedical contexts because the primates analyzed may serve as extremely important models of human hormonal growth and development. Implications for ageing research will also be considered.