Regulation of Androgen Metabolism in Frog Development

影响生殖的环境污染物是导致世界范围内两栖动物数量下降的因素之一。更好地了解两栖动物的性激素合成对于发现这些污染物的作用机制至关重要。该研究计划的目的是利用已知的激素合成抑制剂来进一步了解与男性内分泌信号有关的酶和激素的调节和生物学功能。实验方法包括对生物体、细胞和分子端点的分析，旨在将更高水平的生物组织（例如非典型组织学）与微妙的分子变化（例如基因表达）联系起来。在接下来的五年里，我的研究项目将研究青蛙发育和性成熟过程中的睾丸激素代谢。

Environmental pollutants that affect reproduction are one of the contributing factors to the declining populations of amphibians worldwide. A better understanding of sex hormone synthesis in amphibians is critical to help discover the mechanisms of action of these pollutants. The objective of the proposed research program is to use known hormone synthesis inhibitors to further our understanding of the regulation and biological functions of enzymes and hormones involved in male endocrine signalling. The experimental approach includes the analysis of organismal, cellular and molecular endpoints and aims to correlate higher levels of biological organization, for example atypical histology, to subtle molecular changes (e.g., gene expression). Over the next five years, my research program will study testosterone metabolism during frog development and sexual maturity.