Neurobiology of vertebrate reproduction: Neuronal-glial interactions and integrated neuroendocrine regulation at the brain-pituitary interface

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Acquiring new knowledge about how brain hormones and peptides control animal reproduction is the main goal of my research. The long-term objective is to understand how the brain and pituitary gland release hormones that control the ovaries and testes in fish. Environmental signals such as light and temperature can regulate reproduction by changing the levels and activities of key genes and hormones. Moreover, many environmental pollutants can disrupt these fine-tuned processes such that fertility is reduced, or reproduction is totally inhibited. We know this because we have used methods that measure thousands of genes and hundreds of proteins in the brain following hormone treatments or experiments where we alter the environmental conditions. In the last few years my laboratory made two compelling discoveries in the goldfish and zebrafish model organisms that provide the foundation for this proposal. We will specifically study the role of a novel neuropeptide called secretoneurin that we propose to be a new hormone controlling reproduction. Luteinizing hormone is the essential factor controlling egg production or sperm production, and sex steroid production in vertebrate animals, be they fish, frogs or humans. Additionally, we have isolated a special cell type from the brain called the radial glial cell. These cells are similar to stem cells giving rise to neurons in the adult brain. In fish, they are also the estrogen-producing cells in the brain. We will examine the relationship of these cells to neurons, and how this fits into a complex model to understand how the brain regulates reproduction. Our published and preliminary data all indicate that these various functions are similar in fish and mammals. Therefore, the knowledge gained for one model species may help us understand reproduction control mechanisms in other species. On a more practical scale, establishing the factors that regulate luteinizing hormone release may have important applications for controlled reproduction in fish aquaculture. Also very important is that young scientists will conduct this research and get training in state-of-the art techniques. These include methods such as RNA sequencing and bioinformatics, proteomics (a high powered method to measure hundreds of proteins at one time), and genome editing and gene knockout methods for fish. These graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral researchers will be mentored on career development and will publish their results in scientific journals. They will be highly sought after by academia, industrial research and development organizations, or government research departments.