Neuropeptide Control of Ecdysone Biosynthesis

蜕皮激素生物合成的神经肽控制

• 批准号: 0516623
• 负责人: Lawrence Gilbert
• 金额: $ 47万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-01-15 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0516623&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Neuropeptide; Control; Ecdysone; Biosynthesis

For insects and other arthropods to grow they must molt. That is, they must shed their outer covering (exoskeleton) which restricts growth, while synthesizing a new and larger version. This ability to molt has allowed insects to survive and prosper for hundreds of millions of years. The actual molting process is elicited and controlled by a steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), which is synthesized by special glands. Mammals also use steroid hormones to control metabolic activities and secondary sexual characteristics. Although 20E was characterized chemically about 50 years ago, little was known about how it is synthesized until a few years ago when this laboratory used molecular genetic techniques to identify, clone and characterize genes encoding enzymes mediating the last four steps in the biosynthesis of 20E. However, there are several prior steps in this scheme for which no information exists, the so-called black box, and the goal of this proposal is to identify the genes controlling these steps. The experimental paradigms developed for this work involving the marriage of molecular genetics and biochemistry are novel and can be utilized for the study of steroid hormone biosynthesis in mammals including man. Further, unraveling the biosynthetic scheme for 20E may identify biochemical steps unique to the insect and could be probed with new inhibitors to control pests of biomedical and agricultural importance. This laboratory will continue to train undergraduates in the aforementioned technologies as it has in the past. Currently, two female students, one of minority heritage are slated to work on this project.

对于昆虫和其他节肢动物的成长，他们必须蜕皮。也就是说，它们必须摆脱限制生长的外壳（外骨骼），同时合成一个新的更大的版本。这种蜕皮的能力使昆虫能够生存和繁荣数亿年。蜕皮过程是由一种类固醇激素20-羟基蜕皮激素（20 E）引起和控制的，这种激素是由特殊的腺体合成的。 哺乳动物也使用类固醇激素来控制代谢活动和第二性征。尽管20 E在大约50年前就被化学表征，但直到几年前，当该实验室使用分子遗传技术来鉴定、克隆和表征编码介导20 E生物合成中最后四个步骤的酶的基因时，对它是如何合成的知之甚少。 然而，在这个方案中有几个先前的步骤没有信息存在，所谓的黑盒，这个建议的目标是确定控制这些步骤的基因。 为这项工作开发的实验范式涉及婚姻的分子遗传学和生物化学是新颖的，可用于研究类固醇激素的生物合成在哺乳动物，包括man. Further，解开20 E的生物合成计划可能会识别独特的生物化学步骤的昆虫，并可以探索与新的抑制剂，以控制生物医学和农业的重要性害虫。该实验室将一如既往地继续培训大学生掌握上述技术。目前，两名女学生，其中一名是少数民族遗产，被安排在这个项目上工作。