The neuroendocrine stress axis in amphibian development and physiology

两栖动物发育和生理学中的神经内分泌应激轴

• 批准号: 0922583
• 负责人: Robert Denver
• 金额: $ 80.76万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0922583&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: neuroendocrine; stress; axis; amphibian; development

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Exposure to stress early in life can have profound effects on physiology and behavior later in life, which may alter the ability of individuals to grow, compete for resources and reproduce, or may predispose them to disease. The effects of stress during early development are likely to be mediated by elevated levels of stress hormones (glucocorticoids) that serve to 'program' gene expression in the brain and other organs, leading to stable, long term changes in physiological function. This research is investigating the roles that glucocorticoids play in shaping the development of the neuroendocrine stress axis, which plays a key role in controlling behavior and physiology. For this work the investigators are using tadpoles and juveniles of the frog Xenopus tropicalis. The research is multidisciplinary, relying on immunohistochemical, endocrine, and behavioral approaches, and state-of-the-art molecular genetic and genome-wide analyses. This research will provide basic knowledge of the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which early life stress alters later life physiology and behavior in vertebrates. This work is also important for understanding the impacts of environmental degradation on the health of amphibian populations. Environmental insults during the tadpole stage can lead to lasting effects that could impact adult fecundity and survival, and thus contribute to population declines and extinctions. Understanding this potential, and the mechanisms involved is essential to devising effective conservation strategies. This grant supports the training of a postdoctoral scientist, a woman Ph.D. graduate student, and provides opportunities for undergraduate honors students to participate in research that will encourage the pursuit of careers in science.

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。在生命早期暴露于压力可能会对以后的生理和行为产生深远的影响，这可能会改变个人的成长能力，竞争资源和繁殖，或可能使他们容易患病。早期发育过程中的压力效应可能是由应激激素（糖皮质激素）水平升高介导的，这些激素可以“编程”大脑和其他器官中的基因表达，导致生理功能的稳定，长期变化。这项研究正在调查糖皮质激素在塑造神经内分泌应激轴的发展中所起的作用，神经内分泌应激轴在控制行为和生理方面起着关键作用。在这项工作中，研究人员使用了热带爪蟾的蝌蚪和幼蛙。该研究是多学科的，依赖于免疫组织化学，内分泌和行为方法，以及最先进的分子遗传学和全基因组分析。这项研究将提供早期生活压力改变脊椎动物后期生活生理和行为的生理和分子机制的基础知识。这项工作对于了解环境退化对两栖动物种群健康的影响也很重要。蝌蚪阶段的环境损害可能会导致持久的影响，可能会影响成年繁殖力和生存，从而导致人口下降和灭绝。了解这种潜力以及所涉及的机制对于制定有效的保护战略至关重要。这项赠款支持培养一名博士后科学家，一名女博士。研究生，并为本科生荣誉学生提供机会，参与研究，这将鼓励在科学事业的追求。