RUI: Effect of Dietary Protein on Structure and Function of the Avian Nephron

许多鸟类在生长或季节周期中从吃低蛋白质的食物（如种子）转变为吃高蛋白质的食物（如昆虫）。在哺乳动物中，改变为高蛋白饮食会引起肾脏的一些变化，包括器官的扩大和尿液的产生和组成的变化。在人类中，这些变化是肾衰竭进展的重要因素，目前流行的高蛋白/低碳水化合物饮食也引起了人们对这些后果的关注。鸟类在解剖学和生理学上具有许多被认为与哺乳动物对食用蛋白质的反应有关的相同元素；然而，鸟类缺乏其他这些元素。因此，鸟类可以作为一个天然的模型来测试关于饮食和肾脏后果之间联系的理论。在拟议的研究中，戈尔茨坦博士将探索饮食如何影响肾脏对喂养后释放的激素的反应。他将通过在高速公路上饲养山齿鹑来实现这一目标。-低蛋白饮食，然后探索器官结构，肾脏功能，以及肾脏细胞和组织的生化反应。这些研究将有助于定义一种鸟类（山齿鹑）的生理学，这种鸟类无论是作为家养物种还是野生物种都很有价值。他们还将澄清对哺乳动物肾脏提出的假设和假设，从而有助于阐明饮食蛋白质与肾衰竭进展之间的联系。

Many birds change during growth or seasonal cycles from eating diets low in protein, such as seeds, to diets high in protein, such as insects. In mammals, changing to a high protein diet induces a number of changes in the kidneys, including enlargement of the organs and changes in the production and composition of the urine. In humans, these changes are important contributors to the progression of renal failure, and there is concern about these consequences also associated with the current popularity of high protein/low carbohydrate dieting. Birds possess many of the same elements to their anatomy and physiology as are suggested to be involved in the mammalian response to eating protein; however, birds lack others of these elements. Thus, birds can serve as a natural model for testing theories about the links between diet and consequences for the kidneys. In the proposed studies, Dr. Goldstein will explore the ways in which diet influences the responsiveness of the kidneys to hormones released in response to feeding. He will do so by raising bobwhite quail on high-vs.-low protein diets, and then exploring organ structure, kidney function, and the biochemical responses of kidney cells and tissues. These studies will help to define the physiology of a bird (the bobwhite quail) that is valuable both as a domestic and a wildlife species. They will also clarify assumptions and hypotheses proposed for mammalian kidneys, and thereby help to elucidate the link between dietary protein and the progression of renal failure.