RUI: Social Regulation of Reproductive Behavior and Neuroendocrine Processes

PI：Grober，M. IBN-9723817本研究的长期目标是了解生殖功能的社会调节。 在蓝头濑鱼中，社会互动调节了广泛的生殖选择的表达，特别是雌性和雄性都转变为“超级雄性”生殖形态;即，性别变化 这种独特的鱼为理解生殖神经内分泌学的社会调节提供了一个模型系统，原因如下：1）生殖转变的精确时间可以通过实验控制，2）行为变化发生在社会触发的几分钟内，并且完全的性别逆转可以在八天内完成，3）性别转变导致生殖行为的永久性变化，以及4）这些行为上的差异源于和/或引起大脑和内分泌系统的永久性变化。 为了实现我们的长期目标，将解决一个中心假设：社会地位的变化引起前脑精氨酸催产素（AVT）中心和性腺激素水平的变化，这反过来又产生了社会和生殖行为的变化，这是性别变化的必要组成部分。 该项目将专注于AVT，因为产生这种肽激素的大脑中心表现出几个关键特征：1）在许多脊椎动物物种中，雄性和雌性在这些细胞中显示出显著的差异，2）这些细胞对社会调节和性腺激素水平敏感，3）这种肽调节与特定性腺激素水平相关的社会和交配行为，以及4）这些细胞在蓝头濑鱼的性别逆转期间经历快速和定向的变化。 该提案针对四个具体目标：1. 必须确定具体性别行为变化的确切时间。 2.这些结果将被用作一个时间轴，用于检查性别变化期间行为变化和脑细胞变化之间的时间关系。 3. 在性别改变之前、期间和之后伴随性别改变的性腺激素变化的测定。 4. 性激素对前脑AVT细胞影响的测定。 最近男性平均睾酮水平的变化和女性不孕症与我们自己的社会关系的变化有关。对这些过程的一般理解可以从一系列脊椎动物繁殖的社会控制的研究中获得;蓝头濑鱼是这种研究的一个很好的模型系统。 这项工作将提供一个详细的图片如何社会互动调节生殖行为，神经生物学和内分泌学。 作为RUI的一个建议，这个项目将促进本科生参与综合研究计划。 学生将学习批判性地阅读科学文献，生成假设和测试这些假设的方法，预测可能的结果，并分析/讨论他们的结果。 此外，学生还将获得生物科学领域最先进技术的经验，从而增加这些学生未来机会的范围，以及他们在这些领域取得成功的能力。 我们的计划迎合非传统背景的本科生，这个项目的目标是使这些学生在高质量的研究生和专业课程的开口竞争。

PI: Grober, M. IBN-9723817 The long term goal of this research is to understand social regulation of reproductive function. In the bluehead wrasse, social interactions regulate the expression of a wide range of reproductive options, specifically the transformation of both females and males into a 'supermale' reproductive morph; i.e., gender change. This unique fish provides a model system for understanding social regulation of reproductive neuroendocrinology for several reasons: 1) the precise timing of reproductive transitions can be experimentally controlled, 2) behavioral changes occur within minutes of the social trigger and total gender reversal can be completed in eight days, 3) gender transitions result in permanent changes in reproductive behavior, and 4) these differences in behavior result from and/or cause permanent changes in the brain and endocrine system. To approach our long term goal, one central hypothesis will be addressed: Changes in social status induce changes in forebrain Arginine Vasotocin (AVT) centers and gonadal hormone levels, which in turn generate changes in the social and reproductive behaviors that are a necessary component of gender change. This project will focus on AVT because brain centers that produce this peptide hormone exhibit several key characteristics: 1) in many vertebrate species, males and females show dramatic differences in these cells, 2) these cells are sensitive to social modulation and gonadal hormone levels, 3) this peptide regulates social and mating behavior in association with levels of specific gonadal hormones, and 4) these cells undergo rapid and directional changes during gender reversals in the bluehead wrasse. This proposal addresses four specific aims: 1. The precise timing of changes in gender-specific behavior must be determined. 2. These results will be used as a timeline for examining the timing relationship between changes in behavior and changes in the brain cells during gender change. 3. Determination of changes in gonadal hormones that accompany gender change before, during and after gender change. 4. Determination of the affects of gonadal hormones on forebrain AVT cells. Recent changes in average testosterone levels in men and infertility in women are associated with changes in our own social associations. A general understanding of these processes may be gained from the investigation of the social control of reproduction in a range of vertebrates; the bluehead wrasse is a good model system for such studies. This work will provide a detailed picture of how social interactions regulate reproductive behavior, neurobiology and endocrinology. As an RUI proposal, this project will foster the participation of undergraduates in an integrative research program. Students will learn to critically read scientific literature, generate hypotheses and methods for testing these hypotheses, predict possible outcomes, and analyze / discuss their results. In addition, students will get experience with state-of-the-art technologies in biological sciences increasing the range of future opportunities for these students, and their ability to succeed in these fields. Our program caters to undergraduates with non-traditional backgrounds and the goal of this project is to make these students competitive for openings in top quality graduate and professional programs.