SGER: Quantitating GnRH Evoked Cell Motion in Live Pituitary Slices

排卵可能是生殖过程中最基本的事件。它需要垂体前叶释放20-30倍的促黄体激素（LH）进入外周循环，以诱导卵子从卵巢释放。下丘脑神经肽、促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）引导垂体分泌LH。因此，大脑中GnRH的分泌及其在垂体中的促性腺激素的解释构成了几乎所有脊椎动物生殖能力的基本中心事件。LH浪涌调节的关键方面仍然必须阐明。目前的教条认为，垂体是一个相对被动的参与者，接受下丘脑的指示（GnRH），并产生垂体产物（LH），释放后直接泄漏到外周循环中。该SGER项目旨在确定垂体细胞对GnRH的反应是通过身体运动来最大限度地释放LH。这一发现将改变流行的教条，宣称垂体不再是一个被动的参与者在这个过程中，而是在创造一个黄体生成素的排卵激增中发挥动态作用。如果这一现象更加普遍化，这一概念将从根本上改变目前对内分泌器官信号传导的概念。拟议研究的更广泛影响从各级教育过程（K-12，本科生，研究生，博士后）的学生参与，到科罗拉多州立大学作为土地授予机构对公共服务的承诺，再到拟议研究的新颖性和生物学意义。

Ovulation is perhaps the most fundamental event in reproduction. It requires a dramatic 20-30-fold surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) released by the anterior pituitary into the peripheral circulation to induce the release of the egg from the ovary. The secretion of LH from the pituitary is cued by the hypothalamic neuropeptide, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The secretion of GnRH from the brain and its interpretation by gonadotropes in the pituitary therefore constitute the essential central events for reproductive competence in virtually all vertebrates. Key aspects of LH surge regulation must still be elucidated. The current dogma states that the pituitary is a relatively passive player receiving hypothalamic direction (GnRH) and turning out pituitary product (LH) that simply leaks into the peripheral circulation upon release. This SGER project seeks to establish that cells in the pituitary respond to GnRH by physically moving to maximize their access to release their LH. This finding will alter the prevailing dogma by proclaiming that the pituitary is no longer a passive player in the process, but rather plays a dynamic role in creating an ovulatory surge of LH. If this phenomenon were more generalized, this concept would fundamentally change current concepts of endocrine organ signaling. The broader impacts of the proposed research stretch from the involvement of students at all levels of the educational process (K-12, undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral), to Colorado State University's commitment as a land grant institution to public service, to the novelty and biological significance of the proposed research.