DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Social Control of Kisspeptin Signaling

动物利用来自环境的信号在适当的时候启动生殖行为和生理。 在许多物种中，来自个体社会环境的信息对繁殖尤为重要。 然而，介导环境和大脑之间这种相互作用的分子在很大程度上是未知的。 这个项目是第一个解决kisspeptin，一个重要的调节青春期的分子，是否也参与成年人的行为和生理的社会调节。 因为kisspeptin的受体在大脑中广泛存在，以前的研究预测，kisspeptin除了在青春期发挥作用外，还在行为中发挥作用。 这项研究将使用一种鱼类，其中社会线索控制成年雄性社会行为和生理的戏剧性可塑性。 这个物种非常适合研究行为，因为它生活在复杂的社区中，雄性经常参与社会互动，例如捍卫领土和追求未来的配偶。 该项目将整合多种技术来确定kisspeptin的功能。 首先，将使用基因组分析来鉴定该物种中kisspeptin的基因。 接下来，研究人员将使用分子技术来可视化产生kisspeptin的神经元，以及这些神经元的活动或形状是否会响应社交线索而发生变化。最后，研究人员将测试kisspeptin治疗是否会影响雄性的攻击性或生殖行为，以及kisspeptin是否会与睾丸激素相互作用，睾丸激素是一种已知会影响脊椎动物攻击性的循环激素。 这个项目将扩大我们的神经回路介导的大脑和环境的相互作用的知识。 它还将提供对负责社会行为的基因进化的洞察力。 此外，这个项目将提供一个有价值的平台，让两名本科生和当地社区的学生学习神经科学。

Animals use signals from the environment to initiate reproductive behavior and physiology at the appropriate time. In many species, information from an individual's social environment is especially important for reproduction. However, the molecules that mediate this interaction between the environment and the brain are largely unknown. This project is the first to address whether kisspeptin, a molecule important in regulating puberty, is also involved in social regulation of adult behavior and physiology. Because the receptor for kisspeptin is found widely throughout the brain, previous studies predicted that kisspeptin has a role in behavior in addition to its established role in puberty. This research will use a fish species in which social cues control dramatic plasticity in adult male social behavior and physiology. This species is well suited for studying behavior because it lives in complex communities where the males frequently engage in social interactions, such as defending territory and courting prospective mates. The project will integrate multiple techniques to determine the function of kisspeptin. First, genomic analyses will be used to identify the gene for kisspeptin in this species. Next, the researchers will use molecular techniques to visualize the neurons producing kisspeptin and whether the activity or shape of these neurons change in response to social cues. Finally, the researchers will test if kisspeptin treatment affects a male's aggressive or reproductive behavior and whether kisspeptin interacts with testosterone, a circulating hormone known to influence aggression in vertebrates. This project will expand our knowledge of the neural circuitry mediating brain and environment interaction. It will also provide insight into the evolution of genes responsible for social behavior. Furthermore, this project will provide a valuable platform for engaging two undergraduate students and students from the local community in learning about neuroscience.