RUI: Crustacean Pigment-Dispersing Neuropeptide Hormones: Heterogeneity, Actions, and Distribution

最近的证据，主要来自对脊椎动物的研究，表明 激素蛋白质和肽以“家族”的形式存在。“每个家庭 包含结构相关的分子，其中两个或更多个可能是 在单一物种中发现，或在一个系统中的不同物种中发现 群体，甚至是不同动物门的代表。 当代研究证明了阐明 肽家族一致性和可变性的结构基础 以及它们之间的功能和进化关系 荷尔蒙 这个项目的重点是一个新发现的家庭， 从甲壳动物和昆虫来源分离的肽。 因为 这种无脊椎动物在评估其细胞活动时很简单， 激素家族作为评价肽的极好模型 激素控制机制、功能关系和激素- 受体相互作用 该项目涉及分离，表征和化学 由代表性颜料分散激素（PDHs）合成 螃蟹、对虾和小龙虾的种类。 纯化的和合成的 激素将被测试其相对效力在不同的 生物测定系统 通过放射免疫测定， 血液和神经内分泌组织将在各种条件下进行监测。 实验条件免疫细胞化学检测将用于 在代表性的甲壳类动物中， 就像某些无脊椎动物一样。 根据进展情况， 此外，我们亦会进行研究，评估 受体相互作用的分子基础。 从这些研究中获得的知识将是比较 对那些研究其他无脊椎动物神经肽的人来说， 和脊椎动物 从简单无脊椎动物得出的推论 这里使用的系统将有助于理解基础 激素分子多样性和作用的机制。 这个项目 将为研究生和本科生提供机会， 参与主流研究，快速推进研究 这有助于他们在科学领域的职业发展， 生物技术.

Recent evidence, derived largely from studies on vertebrates, indicates that hormonal proteins and peptides occur as "families." Each family contains structurally related molecules, two or more of which may be found in a single species, or among diverse species in a phyletic group, or even among representatives of diverse animal phyla. Contemporary research attests to the importance of elucidating the structural basis of the consistancy and variability in peptide families as well as the functional and evolutionary relationships among such hormones. This project focuses on a newly discovered family of peptides isolated from crustacean and insect sources. Because of the simplicity in assessing its cellular actions, this invertebrate hormone family serves as an excellent model for evaluating peptide hormone control mechanisms, functional relationships, and hormone- receptor interactions. This project involves the isolation, characterization, and chemical synthesis of pigment-dispersing hormones (PDHs) from representative species of crabs, prawns, and crayfish. The purified and synthetic hormones will be tested for their relative potencies in diverse bioassay systems. By means of radioimmunoassays, the hormone levels in blood and neuroendocrine tissues will be monitored under various experimental conditions. Immunocytochemical tests will be employed to localize hormone-producing cells in representative crustaceans as well as in selected species of invertebrates. Depending on the progress in the above areas, studies will also be carried out to evaluate the molecular basis of hormone-receptor interactions. The knowledge derived from these studies would be of comparative interest to those working with neuropeptides from other invertebrates and vertebrates. The inferences drawn from the simple invertebrate system employed here would be of value in understanding the basis mechanisms of hormonal molecular diversity and actions. This project will provide opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in mainstream research in a rapidly advancing research field, thereby contributing to their career advancement in science and biotechnology.