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 研究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 合成一系列肽，当释放时，引发一系列 导致卵子沉积的刻板行为。 虽然袋式电池 系统经过多年的深入研究，并做出了贡献 基本上与我们思考基本神经内分泌的方式相似 过程中，一个关键问题从未得到解答：什么是 激活通常静止的袋细胞的生理刺激？ 本提案解决了这个问题。 我们利用最近 观察发现心房腺是生殖系统中的外分泌器官 道，含有至少三种可以激活袋细胞的肽。 这些肽的接受位点将被绘制 通过选择性损伤和应用肽进行电生理学 中枢神经系统的特定区域，同时从 袋细胞并确定了中央神经元。 我们还将开发单克隆 针对这些结构相关的肽的抗体并使用它们 定位可以调节袋细胞的肽的神经元来源 活动。 最后，我们将利用电生理学技术 表征合成细胞之间的功能连接 （并释放）调节肽和对其做出反应的细胞。

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.