EAGER: The Role of Membrane Progestin Receptors in Progestin-Facilitated Lordosis

类固醇激素在整个生命周期中对身体和大脑的许多系统的功能都有广泛的影响。更充分地了解类固醇是如何起作用的是很重要的，因为它们的不同作用有几种潜在的机制。传统的观点认为，类固醇与细胞内类固醇受体结合后作用相对缓慢。然而，类固醇激素也能以尚未完全了解的方式对细胞膜产生快速影响。这些研究的目的是探讨孕激素如何通过作用于一个潜在的膜靶点，即最近发现的膜孕激素受体（mPR），对大脑和行为产生作用。在这些实验中，mPRs在大脑和身体中的表达以及与行为终点的功能相关性将以大鼠和小鼠为模型确定。通过改变对观察到的行为影响重要的脑区中膜黄体酮受体的表达或活性，实验对象将对脑中的mPR行为进行操纵，以直接研究mPR的作用。由于黄体酮介导了重要的生殖过程，因此跨物种的相似性是预期的，但差异可能揭示了不同mpr作用的特异性。这项研究对于了解黄体酮和其他类固醇激素的作用非常重要。这项研究也将为教师提供跨学科的培训，进一步发展他们在行为神经科学和分子生物学方面的技能。博士后、研究生、本科生和高中生学员将与两位优秀的科学家合作，探索一个令人兴奋的新研究领域，这可能会在理解类固醇激素的作用方面取得突破。

Steroid hormones have pervasive effects throughout the lifespan for function of the many systems of the body and brain. It is important to more fully understand how steroids work, given that there are several potential mechanisms for their varied effects. The traditional and well-characterized view is that steroids have relatively slow actions after binding to intracellular steroid receptors. However, steroid hormones can also have rapid effects at the cell membrane in ways that have yet to be fully understood. The purpose of these studies is to investigate how the key hormone progesterone may have actions on the brain and behavior by acting at a potential membrane target, the recently discovered membrane progestin receptors (mPR). In these experiments, the expression of mPRs in the brain and body and the functional relevance with respect to behavioral endpoints will be determined using rats and mice as models. Subjects will have mPR actions in the brain manipulated to directly investigate the role of mPRs by altering membrane progestin receptor expression or activity in brain regions important for the behavioral effects observed. Because progesterone mediates the important process of reproduction, similarities across species are expected, but differences may reveal specificity in the actions of different mPRs. The research to be performed is important for understanding of the actions of progesterone, as well as other steroid hormones. This research will also provide for interdisciplinary training of faculty to further develop their skills in behavioral neuroscience and molecular biology. Post-doctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and high school student trainees will work with two excellent scientists in a project exploring an exciting new area of investigation that can lead to breakthroughs in understanding actions of steroid hormones.