EAGER: The Role of Membrane Progestin Receptors in Progestin-Facilitated Lordosis

EAGER：膜孕激素受体在孕激素促进的脊柱前凸中的作用

• 批准号: 0957148
• 负责人: Cheryl Frye
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Albany
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0957148&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Role; Membrane; Progestin; Receptors

Steroid hormones have pervasive effects throughout the lifespan for function of the many systems of the body and brain. It is important to more fully understand how steroids work, given that there are several potential mechanisms for their varied effects. The traditional and well-characterized view is that steroids have relatively slow actions after binding to intracellular steroid receptors. However, steroid hormones can also have rapid effects at the cell membrane in ways that have yet to be fully understood. The purpose of these studies is to investigate how the key hormone progesterone may have actions on the brain and behavior by acting at a potential membrane target, the recently discovered membrane progestin receptors (mPR). In these experiments, the expression of mPRs in the brain and body and the functional relevance with respect to behavioral endpoints will be determined using rats and mice as models. Subjects will have mPR actions in the brain manipulated to directly investigate the role of mPRs by altering membrane progestin receptor expression or activity in brain regions important for the behavioral effects observed. Because progesterone mediates the important process of reproduction, similarities across species are expected, but differences may reveal specificity in the actions of different mPRs. The research to be performed is important for understanding of the actions of progesterone, as well as other steroid hormones. This research will also provide for interdisciplinary training of faculty to further develop their skills in behavioral neuroscience and molecular biology. Post-doctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and high school student trainees will work with two excellent scientists in a project exploring an exciting new area of investigation that can lead to breakthroughs in understanding actions of steroid hormones.

类固醇激素在整个生命周期中对身体和大脑的许多系统的功能具有普遍影响。 重要的是要更充分地了解类固醇是如何工作的，因为它们的不同效果有几种潜在的机制。 传统的和充分表征的观点是，类固醇与细胞内类固醇受体结合后具有相对缓慢的作用。 然而，类固醇激素也可以在细胞膜上以尚未完全理解的方式产生快速作用。 这些研究的目的是研究关键激素孕酮如何通过作用于潜在的膜靶点，即最近发现的膜孕酮受体（mPR），对大脑和行为产生作用。 在这些实验中，将使用大鼠和小鼠作为模型来确定mPR在大脑和身体中的表达以及与行为终点的功能相关性。受试者将在脑中进行mPR作用，以通过改变对观察到的行为效应重要的脑区域中的膜受体表达或活性来直接研究mPR的作用。由于孕酮介导重要的生殖过程，预计物种之间的相似性，但差异可能揭示不同mPR作用的特异性。 要进行的研究是重要的了解行动的孕酮，以及其他类固醇激素。这项研究还将为教师提供跨学科培训，以进一步发展他们在行为神经科学和分子生物学方面的技能。博士后，研究生，本科生和高中生学员将与两位优秀的科学家一起探索一个令人兴奋的新研究领域，该领域可以在理解类固醇激素的作用方面取得突破。