A genetic analysis of a Neuroendocrine Cascade

神经内分泌级联的遗传分析

• 批准号: 0452009
• 负责人: James Truman
• 金额: $ 36万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-03-01 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0452009&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: genetic; analysis; Neuroendocrine; Cascade

The long term goal of the project is to understand how the endocrine system organizes complex programs of behavior. The project focuses on the ecdysis behavior of insects, a stereotyped behavioral sequence that enables the insect to shed its old skin at the end of a molt. The ecdysis sequence is divided into 3 main phases, each of which is dependent on the release of a different hormone: ecdysis-triggering hormone, crustacean cardioactive peptide, and bursicon, respectively. Molecular genetic approaches will be used in Drosophila to determine the molecular and cellular organization of this hormonal control system and how sensory stimuli can alter hormone release thereby providing behavioral plasticity. The project will focus on ecdysis behavior, which is influenced via two pathways, one through declining steroid titers, which encode developmental information, and the other through neurohormones that provide a pathway for proximal behavioral stimuli. Photoperiod shifts and steroid manipulations and measurements will be used to define how steroids interact with the behavioral program, and mutants used to identify novel components of this pathway. The project will then use genetic manipulation of particular neurons to examine the premature activation of the last behavioral phase, before ecdysis is completed. These flies will allow the determination of the regulatory circuitry that couples two behavioral modules together. The timing of bursicon release will be examined under various conditions and bursicon mutants used to determine if bursicon is responsible for terminating ecdysis. Insect ecdysis has become a premiere system for studying how hormones regulate complex behavior. However, these relatively simple behavioral assays will be an excellent avenue to train undergraduates in bench science working on this project. Undergraduates and pre-college students, some of which are women and under-represented minorities, will be involved in this project that offers exceptional research training oppportunities.

该项目的长期目标是了解内分泌系统如何组织复杂的行为程序。该项目的重点是昆虫的蜕皮行为，这是一种刻板的行为序列，使昆虫在蜕皮结束时摆脱旧皮。蜕皮顺序分为3个主要阶段，每个阶段都依赖于不同激素的释放：蜕皮触发激素，甲壳动物心脏活性肽和囊激素。 分子遗传学方法将用于果蝇，以确定这种激素控制系统的分子和细胞组织，以及感觉刺激如何改变激素释放，从而提供行为可塑性。该项目将重点关注蜕皮行为，这是通过两个途径的影响，一个通过类固醇滴度下降，编码发育信息，另一个通过神经激素，提供近端行为刺激的途径。光周期变化和类固醇的操作和测量将被用来定义类固醇如何与行为程序相互作用，以及用于识别该途径的新组件的突变体。然后，该项目将使用特定神经元的遗传操作来检查蜕皮完成之前最后一个行为阶段的过早激活。 这些果蝇将允许确定将两个行为模块耦合在一起的调节电路。将在各种条件下检查囊子释放的时间，并使用囊子突变体来确定囊子是否负责终止蜕皮。 昆虫蜕皮已成为研究激素如何调节复杂行为的首要系统。然而，这些相对简单的行为测定将是一个很好的途径，以培养本科生在实验室科学工作的这个项目。 本科生和大学预科生，其中一些是妇女和代表性不足的少数民族，将参与这个项目，提供特殊的研究培训机会。