Collaborative Research. Perception of the Steroid Molting Hormone, 20-Hydroxyecdysone (20-HE) and its Role in Orchestrating Aggressive Interactions in the American Lobster

类固醇蜕皮激素，20-羟基蜕皮激素（20-HE）的感知及其在美国龙虾的攻击性互动中的作用。本研究的目的是确定和分析类固醇激素在攻击性行为中的作用。 这项研究将调查类固醇蜕皮激素的感知如何影响模型动物美国龙虾的攻击性。攻击性是所有动物生存策略的重要组成部分，用于获取食物，配偶和领土。 这项研究将大大有助于了解类固醇激素如何调节攻击性行为。我们希望证明类固醇不仅改变动物的内部攻击状态，而且还被用作信号工具来修改对手在攻击性相互作用中的行为。该项目的主要目标是为本科生提供最新神经生物学方法的深入研究经验。 该项目是罗得岛大学的卡斯-西蒙和假设学院的克罗马蒂之间的合作。 它将涉及URI研究生，假设大学本科生，以及代表性不足的少数民族本科生从新英格兰高等教育委员会的卓越通过多样性倡议计划。以下问题将得到解决：1。闻类固醇蜕皮激素会影响战斗行为吗？ 这些是行为实验，在这些实验中，失去嗅觉的龙虾与暴露于类固醇（或安慰剂）的动物进行斗争。 这些实验源于早期的研究，表明注射类固醇会增加龙虾的攻击性。2.在蜕皮激素的受体反应中是否存在与蜕皮相关的差异？ 这些是电生理学实验，旨在展示当龙虾从硬壳（攻击性）状态转变为软壳（胆怯）状态时，嗅觉细胞如何对蜕皮激素做出电反应。3.蜕皮激素受体位于何处？这些是显微镜实验，其中荧光抗体用于定位嗅觉神经上的类固醇受体。这些实验将补充电生理学实验。

Perception of the Steroid Molting Hormone, 20-Hydroxyecdysone (20-HE) and its Role in Orchestrating Aggressive Interactions in the American Lobster.The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze the role of steroid hormones in aggressive behavior. The study will investigate how the perception of the steroid molting hormone affects aggression in a model animal, the American lobster. Aggression is a vital component of the survival strategies of all animals and is used in the acquisition of food, mates, and territory. The research will contribute significantly to the understanding of how steroid hormones modulate aggressive behavior. We expect to show that steroids not only alter the internal aggressive state of an animal, but are also used as signaling tools to modify the behavior of an opponent in an aggressive interaction.A primary goal of the project is to give undergraduates an intensive research experience in up-to-date methods of neurobiology. The project is a collaboration between Kass-Simon at the University of Rhode Island, and Cromarty at Assumption College. It will involve URI graduate students, Assumption College undergraduates, and under-represented minority undergraduates from the New England Board of Higher Education's Excellence Through Diversity Initiative Program. The following questions will be addressed:1. Does smelling the steroid molting hormone affect fighting behavior? These are behavioral experiments in which lobsters deprived of their sense of smell fight animals who are exposed to steroids (or placebos). The experiments stem from earlier work showing that injected steroids increase lobster aggressiveness. 2. Are there molt-related differences in the receptor-responses to the molting hormone? These are electrophysiological experiments designed to show how olfactory cells respond electrically to the molting hormone as lobsters go from their hard-shelled (aggressive) to soft-shelled (timid) states. 3. Where are the molting hormone receptors located? These are microscopy experiments, in which fluorescent antibodies are used to locate the steroid receptors on the olfactory nerves. The experiments will augment the electrophysiology experiments.