APLYSIA ATRIAL GLAND PEPTIDES AND BAG CELL REGULATION

这些实验结合了联合收割机免疫学和电生理学技术 研究中枢神经内分泌活动的调节 海洋软体动物海葵的神经系统。 神经内分泌袋细胞 合成一个肽家族，当释放时，引发一系列 刻板行为导致产卵。 虽然袋状细胞 多年来，该系统一直在深入研究，并做出了贡献。 与我们对神经内分泌的基本认识 然而，一个关键的问题从来没有得到回答： 生理刺激激活正常静止的袋细胞？ 本提案涉及这一问题。 我们利用最近的 观察到心房腺，一个外分泌器官在生殖 道，含有至少三种肽，可以激活袋细胞。 将绘制这些肽的感受位点 通过选择性损伤的电生理学和肽的应用 到中枢神经系统的特定区域，同时记录 囊细胞并识别中央神经元。 我们还将开发单克隆 抗这些结构上相关的肽的抗体， 定位可调节袋细胞的肽的神经源 活动 最后，我们将使用电生理技术， 表征合成细胞之间的功能连接， (and释放）调节肽和对它们作出反应的细胞。

These experiments combine immunological and electrophysiological techniques to investigate the regulation of neuroendocrine activity in the central nervous system of the marine mollusc Aplysia. The neuroendocrine bag cells synthesize a family of peptides which, when released, initiate a series of stereotypic behaviors leading to egg deposition. Although the bag cell system has been studied intensively for years, and has contributed substantially to the way we think about fundamental neuroendocrine processes, a crucial question has never been answered: what is the physiological stimulus that activates the normally quiescent bag cells? This proposal addresses that question. We take advantage of recent observations that the atrial gland, an exocrine organ in the reproductive tract, contains at least three peptides that can activate the bag cells. The receptive sites for these peptides will be mapped electrophysiologically by selective lesioning and application of peptides to specific regions of the central nervous system while recording from the bag cells and identified central nerrons. We will also develop monoclonal antibodies agains these structurally related peptides and use them to localize neuronal sources of peptides that could regulate bag cell activity. Finally, we will use electrophysiological techniques to characterize the functional connection between the cells that synthesize (and release) the regulatory peptides and the cells that respond to them.