APLYSIA ATRIAL GLAND PEPTIDES AND BAG CELL REGULATION

这些实验结合了免疫学和电生理学技术。 探讨中枢神经内分泌活动的调节 海洋软体动物海兔的神经系统。神经内分泌袋细胞 合成一系列多肽，当释放时，启动一系列 导致卵子沉积的刻板行为。尽管袋子细胞 多年来，人们对该系统进行了深入的研究，并做出了贡献 与我们思考基本神经内分泌的方式大体相同 进程，一个关键的问题从未得到回答：什么是 激活通常静止的袋子细胞的生理刺激？ 这项提议解决了这个问题。我们利用最近的 观察发现，心房是生殖系统中的一个外分泌器官 含有至少三种能够激活袋子细胞的多肽。 这些多肽的接受部位将被绘制出来。 多肽选择性损伤的电生理学及应用 到中枢神经系统的特定区域，同时从 袋状细胞和已鉴定的中枢神经元。我们还将开发单克隆 针对这些结构相关多肽的抗体并用它们来 定位可调节BAG细胞的多肽的神经元来源 活动。最后，我们将使用电生理技术来 描述合成的细胞之间的功能联系 (并释放)调节肽和对它们做出反应的细胞。

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.