RUI: Examining the disconnect between prolactin and parental care in avian brood parasites

RUI：检查禽类寄生虫中催乳素和父母照顾之间的脱节

• 批准号: 1949188
• 负责人: Christopher Boyko
• 金额: $ 99.78万
• 依托单位: Hofstra University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-05-01 至 2025-04-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1949188&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Examining; disconnect; between; prolactin

Prolactin is often referred to as the “parental hormone” because there is a clear and well-established role for this hormone in maintaining parental behavior in many animals. Yet, there is a seasonal prolactin peak in avian obligate brood parasites, which are birds that leave their eggs in nests of different species rather than build their own nest, incubate their own eggs and feed their own newborns. Elevated prolactin in species that provide no help to their offspring indicates that circulating prolactin levels may be insufficient or misleading in assessing how levels of this hormone motivate parental care. The studies will examine the disconnect between prolactin and parental care in avian brood parasites. The aim of these studies is to identify the molecular and neurophysiological building blocks of parental behavior and how modification in these building blocks result in striking transformations in parental care. Additionally, these studies investigate consequences of altering prolactin receptor on parental behaviors using modern gene manipulation approaches that increase prolactin receptor abundance in the brain of nest parasites and decrease prolactin receptor abundance in non-parasitic birds. Citizen scientists will participate in the field components of these studies, including students from programs promoting interaction of girls with female scientists so that they may view science careers as realistic options. Robotic birds used in the research will also be a component of summer research camps that will introduce high school students to biological experiments using robotics. Cutting-edge gene manipulation approaches will provide hands-on experience for undergraduate students in lab courses.Parental care is critical for survival of offspring in many species. Yet, there are profound differences in parental care across species, sexes and individuals. These comparative studies take advantage of natural variation in parental care to identify the neurobiological- and molecular-basis of brood parasitic behavior in birds. Avian obligate brood parasites evade providing parental care to offspring by laying eggs in nests of other species, which releases the parasite from parental tasks but ensures that parasitic offspring receive necessary provisioning until they are independent. Some brood parasitic species, however, display seasonal surges in prolactin, a hormone well-established as the “parental hormone”. These studies include a blend of field and laboratory studies aimed at understanding the disconnect between prolactin and parental care in brood parasitic species. These aims track prolactin-dependent physiology and behavior across development in two closely related species with stark differences in parental care and identify whether prolactin physiology exhibits convergent features across phylogenetically distantly related brood parasitic species. The prolactin-related physiology to be investigated includes circulating prolactin, prolactin receptor isoforms and prolactin-regulated intracellular messenger systems, specifically the janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (i.e. JAK/STAT pathway). Prolactin-dependent behavioral responses to robotic nestlings will be investigated across development and breeding status as well as in transgenic parasitic and non-parasitic birds with altered prolactin receptors using adeno-associated virus and RNAi approaches. These studies will provide a long overdue mechanistic perspective to understanding the evolution of brood parasitism and provide insight into possible neurobiological mechanisms associated with novel behavioral phenotypes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

催乳素通常被称为“亲代激素”，因为在许多动物中，这种激素在维持亲代行为方面具有明确和公认的作用。 然而，在鸟类专性育雏寄生虫中有一个季节性的催乳素高峰，这些寄生虫是将蛋留在不同物种的巢中的鸟类，而不是建造自己的巢，孵化自己的蛋并喂养自己的新生儿。在对后代没有帮助的物种中，催乳素升高表明循环催乳素水平可能不足以或误导评估这种激素水平如何激发父母的照顾。这些研究将检查催乳素和鸟类育雏寄生虫的父母照顾之间的脱节。这些研究的目的是确定父母行为的分子和神经生理学构建模块，以及这些构建模块的修改如何导致父母护理的显着转变。此外，这些研究调查的后果，改变催乳素受体对父母的行为，使用现代基因操作方法，增加催乳素受体丰度在巢寄生虫和减少催乳素受体丰度在非寄生鸟类的大脑。公民科学家将参与这些研究的实地部分，包括来自促进女孩与女科学家互动方案的学生，以便他们可以将科学职业视为现实的选择。研究中使用的机器鸟也将成为夏季研究营的一个组成部分，该夏令营将向高中生介绍使用机器人技术进行生物实验。尖端的基因操作方法将在实验室课程中为本科生提供实践经验。在许多物种中，父母的照顾对后代的生存至关重要。然而，在不同物种、性别和个人之间，父母的照顾存在着深刻的差异。这些比较研究利用自然变化的父母照顾，以确定鸟类的育雏寄生行为的神经生物学和分子基础。鸟类专性育雏寄生虫通过在其他物种的巢中产卵来逃避对后代的父母照顾，这使寄生虫从父母的任务中解脱出来，但确保寄生后代在独立之前获得必要的供应。然而，有些寄生虫种类的催乳素（一种公认的“亲代激素”）会出现季节性激增。这些研究包括一个混合的领域和实验室研究，旨在了解之间的脱节催乳素和父母照顾育雏寄生虫物种。这些目标跟踪催乳素依赖的生理和行为在两个密切相关的物种的发展与父母的照顾，并确定是否催乳素生理学表现出收敛的功能，在遗传学上远相关的育雏寄生物种。待研究的催乳素相关生理学包括循环催乳素、催乳素受体亚型和催乳素调节的细胞内信使系统，特别是janus激酶/信号转导子和转录激活子（即JAK/STAT途径）。催乳素依赖的行为反应，机器人雏鸟将在整个发展和繁殖状态，以及在转基因寄生和非寄生鸟类与改变催乳素受体使用腺相关病毒和RNAi方法进行调查。这些研究将提供一个期待已久的机制的角度来理解幼虫寄生的演变，并提供洞察可能的神经生物学机制与新的行为phenotypes.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。