U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: Functional Significance of GnRH Multiplicity in Teleost Fish

该奖项支持马里兰大学生物技术研究所的Yohathan Zohar教授和日本札幌市北海道大学的Akihisa Urano教授之间为期三年的合作研究项目。研究人员将对硬骨鱼中GnRH多样性的功能意义进行研究。促性腺激素释放激素(GnRH)是一种在大脑中产生的十肽，对脊椎动物的生殖控制是必不可少的。然而，人们已经发现，在所有脊椎动物中，多种形式的促性腺激素释放激素在单一物种的大脑中共存。这表明，在进化过程中，GnRH可能获得了与生殖无关的额外功能。多个GnRH的不同作用尚不完全清楚，它们在生殖过程中的相对参与也尚未确定。主要研究目标之一是阐明每种形式在复杂的生殖过程中所起的相对作用。这项研究旨在详细研究鲑科鱼类中存在的两种GnRH形式和存在于Percias中的三种GnRH形式的生理意义。实验设计包括综合生理学方法(对完整动物的活体研究)和分子方法(例如，重组GnRH受体结合分析)。该项目结合了两个具有互补专业知识和研究能力的实验室的努力。美国研究人员的专长是在分子科学领域，日本人在生理领域也有专长。这项研究的结果将提供有价值的信息，可供实验者和水产养殖者使用，并应在为人类消费提供更多动物蛋白方面产生重要的(和积极的)经济影响。这项研究通过年轻科学家和研究生的参与促进了国际人力资源的发展。通过思想和技术的交流，这个项目将扩大我们的基础知识基础，促进国际了解和合作。*

9815869ZoharThis award supports a three year collaborative research project between Professor Yohathan Zohar of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and Professor Akihisa Urano of Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. The researchers will be undertaking a study of functional significance of GnRH multiplicity in teleost fish. Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is a decapeptide, produced in the brain, which is essential for the control of reproduction in vertebrates. However, it has been discovered that in all vertebrates multiple forms of GnRH coexist in the brain of a single species. This indicates that during evolution GnRHs may have acquired additional functions that are not related to reproduction. The differential roles of the multiple GnRHs are not yet fully understood, and their relative involvement in reproduction has yet to be defined. One of the primary research objectives is to elucidate the relative role each form contributes to the complex process of reproduction. The research is aimed at a detailed study of the physiological significance of the two forms of GnRH present in salmonids, and the three forms present in perciforms. The experimental design includes both an integrative physiologic approach (in vivo studies on intact animals) and a molecular approach (e.g., recombinant GnRH receptor binding assay).This project brings together the efforts of two laboratories that have complementary expertise and research capabilities. The U.S. researchers' expertise is in the area of molecular science and the Japanese have expertise in the physiological area. Results of this research will provide valuable information that can be used by both experimentalists and aquaculturists, and should have an important (and positive) economic impact in providing additional animal protein for human consumption. This research advances international human resources through the participation of a younger scientist and graduate students. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation.***