The Role of Prolactin in Mediating Parental and AlloparentalCare

9722823这个项目的主要目标是确定调节一个社会物种--佛罗里达灌木鸦(Aphelooma Coulescens)--亲代和异地行为的荷尔蒙机制。由于催乳素在许多物种中与父母的行为有关，包括佛罗里达林鸦，该项目的主旨将解决催乳素在促进非繁殖者帮助行为方面的作用。以前的相关研究已经将帮助和催乳素在该物种中联系在一起。这项建议使用了一种方案，通过控制激素水平，可以对激素功能进行更明确的评估。人们早就知道，在荷尔蒙被移除并在实验中被替代之前，只能推断这种化合物的因果性质。最近，我们对脑下垂体中控制催乳素分泌的“上游”化合物的了解取得了进展，这使得利用生物元素去除催乳素成为可能。使用催乳素释放剂，并用抗催乳素释放剂的抗体治疗佛罗里达林鸦，催乳素可以被免疫中和。在去掉感兴趣的激素(催乳素)后，对接受治疗的个体的焦点观察将有助于确定催乳素是否对帮助行为负责。同样，现代田野内分泌技术可以提高生物体的内源性激素效价。通过在自由生活的合作繁殖佛罗里达灌木鸟中去除并补充催乳素，这项提议将开创在田间条件下使用这些有价值的技术的先河。除了极大地增强我们对调节社会行为的荷尔蒙机制的理解外，这项建议中使用的方法可能被证明在操纵行为方面是有用的，并可能为未来对各种物种的研究奠定基础。

9722823 Schoech The primary goal of this project is to determine the hormonal mechanisms that mediate parental and alloparental behavior in a social species, the Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). Because prolactin is associated with parental behavior in many species, including Florida scrub-jays, the thrust of the project will address the role of prolactin in promoting helping behavior by nonbreeders. Previous correlative studies have linked helping and prolactin in this species. This proposal uses a protocol whereby manipulations of hormone levels allow more definitive assessment of hormone function. It has long been known that until a hormone is removed and replaced experimentally, the causal nature of the compound can only be inferred. Recent advances in our understanding of the compounds 'upstream' from the pituitary that control the secretion of prolactin make it possible to remove prolactin with biological elements. Using a prolactin releasing agent, and by treating Florida scrub-jays with anti-bodies against this agent, prolactin can be immunoneutralized. Following removal of the hormone of interest (prolactin), focal observations of treated individuals will allow the determination of whether prolactin is responsible for helping behavior. Similarly, modern field endocrine techniques allow enhancement of an organism's endogenous hormone titres. By removing and then supplementing prolactin in free-living cooperatively breeding Florida scrub-jays, this proposal will pioneer the use of these valuable techniques under field conditions. In addition to greatly enhancing our understanding of hormonal mechanisms that mediate social behavior, the methods used in this proposal may prove to be useful in manipulating behavior, and may set the stage for future research in a variety of species.