EAPSI:Understanding the Genetic and Protein Dynamics Involved in the Seasonally Breeding Japanese Macaque

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Research that works to enhance the understanding of the genes, proteins, and processes involved in primate reproduction is important for shaping both evolutionary and biomedical knowledge. This award supports research to examine the Japanese macaque as a primate model for gamete production, with emphasis on the genetic and protein dynamics involved in its seasonal-breeding ability. Male Japanese macaques shut down reproductive functions in the birthing season and resume function in the breeding season, challenging previous thinking that gamete production was highly conserved across mammals. Recent research has shown differences in genetic and molecular dynamics between rodent and primate models. This emphasizes the need to develop primate models, which are more closely related to humans, in order to make more accurate extrapolations to human reproductive biology. This project will be conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Hirohisa Hirai, a noted molecular biologist and primatologist, at the Primate Research Institute (PRI) in Inuyama, Japan, home to extensive collections of preserved Japanese macaque tissue which will be invaluable to this research.Previous research has focused on the hormonal and cellular pathways involved in the suppression of testicular function in Japanese macaques, but the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms remain elusive. The project will focus on three potential mechanisms: i) the quiescence of sperm proliferation, ii) apoptosis in the testes, and iii) stage-specific cessation of sperm production. Testis tissue collected from males in both the breeding and birthing seasons will be analyzed for spermatogenesis genes, germ cell markers, and epigenetic states using RT-PCR. Then, the researcher will use HE-staining and immunofluorescence microscopy to gain a clear spatiotemporal understanding about the dynamics of primate reproduction. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).