CART肽在哺乳动物中枢神经系统（包括下丘脑）中高表达，参与摄食、应激等生理过程调节。 最近，申请人在解析家鸡垂体功能调节机制进程中，发现：CART肽仅高表达于家鸡垂体，其释放可受胞内cAMP和[Ca2+]水平调节；在家鸡性成熟过程中，垂体CART肽的表达具明显性别差异, 且血液中CART水平亦显著提升。据此，申请人推测：在家鸡中，CART肽是新的垂体肽类激素，与垂体其他肽类激素一致（GH、LH等），其生成释放可受下丘脑因子(或性腺激素)调控，进而作用于靶组织，如性腺等。为验证该假说，本项目拟设计体内、体外实验, 解析CART肽在家鸡垂体中的生成释放调节机制; 同时，亦初探CART肽在其潜在靶组织(卵巢)中的效应。本研究有望首次在家鸡中建立“CART肽是新的垂体激素成员，可参与性腺发育与功能调节”这一新概念, 同时，也为探讨CART肽对家鸡繁殖性状的影响奠定基础。

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide has been reported to be abundantly expressed in the central nervous system including hypothalamus and play important roles in the regulation of many physiological processes, including food intake and stress. However, our recent studies showed that CART is predominantly expressed in chicken anterior pituitary, and its secretion from pituitary can be induced by elevated intracellular cAMP and calcium levels. Moreover, CART mRNA levels in the pituitary display sexual difference, and the plasma CART levels increase progressively during sex maturation. All the findings led us to hypothesize that: 1) CART peptide is a novel hormone produced by pituitary and, like other classic peptide hormone (e.g. GH and LH), its expression and secretion is tightly controlled by hypothalamic factors (GnRHs) and sexual steroids; 2) pituitary CART peptide may play critical roles in controlling gonadal development and functions. To substantiate this hypothesis, in this study, both in vivo and in vitro experiments will be carried out to decipher the regulatory mechanisms of CART peptide expression and secretion in chicken anterior pituitary. Moreover, the potential roles of CART peptide in ovarian development and functions will also be investigated. The results from this study will not only help to develop a novel concept that in chickens, CART is a novel member of pituitary peptide hormones, and may be involved in the regulation of gonadal development and functions, but also establish a basis to elucidate the potential roles of CART gene in controlling chicken reproduction trait.