Regulation of neuropeptidergic cell homeostasis

下丘脑是大脑的一个区域，对维持体温、体重、电解质平衡和睡眠等各种生理机能都很重要。我们感兴趣的是在下丘脑中发现的一种神经元，叫做神经分泌细胞。神经分泌细胞是下丘脑的关键组织单位，负责向大脑其他部位或外周器官发送激素信号以调节生理。激活后，包裹神经肽驻留在质膜的神经分泌细胞被释放到血液中。为了确保快速反应，神经分泌细胞必须在质膜上迅速补充包装好的神经肽，以便下一轮快速释放。我们对神经分泌细胞如何补充激素知之甚少。在这个提议中，我们将探讨神经分泌细胞如何调节激素水平。我们将通过确定哪些基因使神经分泌细胞能够感知细胞内激素水平，并探索下丘脑中的其他神经元是否使用类似的信号传导机制来实现这一目标。

The hypothalamus is a region of the brain that is important for maintaining a variety of physiologies, such as body temperature, body weight, electrolyte balance, and sleep. We are interested in a type of neuron that is found in the hypothalamus, called a neurosecretory cell. Neurosecretory cells are the key organizing unit of the hypothalamus and are responsible for sending hormonal signals to other parts of the brain or to peripheral organs to regulate physiology. Upon activation, package neuropeptides that reside in the plasma membrane of primed neurosecretory cells are released into the blood. To ensure a rapid response, neurosecretory cells must quickly replenish packaged neuropeptides at the plasma membrane, allowing for the next round of rapid release. We know very little about how hormones are replenished in neurosecretory cells. In this proposal we will explore how neurosecretory cells regulated hormone levels. We will do this by determining which genes enable neurosecretory cells to sense intracellular hormone levels, and explore if other neurons in the hypothalamus use a similar signaling mechanism.