DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Social Control of Kisspeptin Signaling

动物利用来自环境的信号在适当的时间启动生殖行为和生理。在许多物种中，来自个体社会环境的信息对繁殖尤为重要。然而，介导环境和大脑之间这种相互作用的分子在很大程度上是未知的。这个项目是第一个研究kisspeptin（一种在调节青春期中很重要的分子）是否也参与成人行为和生理的社会调节的项目。由于kisspeptin的受体广泛存在于整个大脑中，先前的研究预测，除了在青春期的既定作用外，kisspeptin还在行为中发挥作用。这项研究将使用一种鱼类，在这种鱼类中，社会线索控制着成年雄性社会行为和生理的戏剧性可塑性。这个物种非常适合研究行为，因为它生活在复杂的群体中，雄性经常参与社会互动，比如保卫领土和追求未来的伴侣。该项目将整合多种技术来确定kisspeptin的功能。首先，基因组分析将用于鉴定该物种的kisspeptin基因。接下来，研究人员将使用分子技术来可视化产生kisspeptin的神经元，以及这些神经元的活动或形状是否会随着社会线索而改变。最后，研究人员将测试kisspeptin治疗是否会影响雄性的攻击性或繁殖行为，以及kisspeptin是否会与睾酮（一种已知影响脊椎动物攻击性的循环激素）相互作用。这个项目将扩大我们对神经回路调节大脑和环境相互作用的认识。它还将提供对负责社会行为的基因进化的深入了解。此外，该项目将为两名本科生和当地社区的学生提供一个学习神经科学的宝贵平台。

Animals use signals from the environment to initiate reproductive behavior and physiology at the appropriate time. In many species, information from an individual's social environment is especially important for reproduction. However, the molecules that mediate this interaction between the environment and the brain are largely unknown. This project is the first to address whether kisspeptin, a molecule important in regulating puberty, is also involved in social regulation of adult behavior and physiology. Because the receptor for kisspeptin is found widely throughout the brain, previous studies predicted that kisspeptin has a role in behavior in addition to its established role in puberty. This research will use a fish species in which social cues control dramatic plasticity in adult male social behavior and physiology. This species is well suited for studying behavior because it lives in complex communities where the males frequently engage in social interactions, such as defending territory and courting prospective mates. The project will integrate multiple techniques to determine the function of kisspeptin. First, genomic analyses will be used to identify the gene for kisspeptin in this species. Next, the researchers will use molecular techniques to visualize the neurons producing kisspeptin and whether the activity or shape of these neurons change in response to social cues. Finally, the researchers will test if kisspeptin treatment affects a male's aggressive or reproductive behavior and whether kisspeptin interacts with testosterone, a circulating hormone known to influence aggression in vertebrates. This project will expand our knowledge of the neural circuitry mediating brain and environment interaction. It will also provide insight into the evolution of genes responsible for social behavior. Furthermore, this project will provide a valuable platform for engaging two undergraduate students and students from the local community in learning about neuroscience.