Cellular mechanisms of rapid hormonal modulation in vertebrate communication signals

动物通讯信号对生殖健康很重要，因为它们影响配偶的选择以及对资源和交配机会的竞争。荷尔蒙在从几个月到几分钟的时间尺度上控制动物的交流信号。像睾丸激素或雌激素这样的性激素通常会在几个月到几个小时的时间里控制较慢的变化，而作用较快的蛋白质荷尔蒙则会每时每刻改变交流信号。人们对蛋白质激素影响交流行为的方式知之甚少，但对这些激素快速改变交流信号的细胞机制知之甚少。蛋白质荷尔蒙如何改变神经系统和身体其他部位细胞的功能，以迅速塑造通讯信号？这个项目将确定蛋白质激素每时每刻调节动物通讯信号的细胞机制。该项目的实验涉及记录电鱼中产生通讯信号的细胞的电活动，电鱼是一个系统，在这个系统中，蛋白质荷尔蒙在社会互动期间迅速改变动物的通讯信号。通过在蛋白质激素存在的情况下监测细胞的电活动，实验将确定这些激素如何影响负责细胞电活动的分子和由此产生的通讯信号。这项工作除了对科学的贡献外，还将产生广泛的影响。它将作为行为神经生物学的研究助理，对研究生、本科生和高中生进行指导和培训。该项目还将支持首席调查员的积极教育推广计划，该计划吸引了当地科学博物馆和K-12科学专业的学生。

Animal communication signals are important for reproductive fitness because they influence mate selection and competition for resources and mating opportunities. Hormones control animal communication signals over timescales ranging from months to minutes. Sex hormones like testosterone or estrogen generally control slower changes over months to hours, while faster-acting protein hormones change communication signals on a moment-to-moment basis. Much is known about the ways that protein hormones affect communication behavior, but little is known about the cellular mechanisms through which these hormones quickly change communication signals. How do protein hormones change the function of cells in the nervous system and elsewhere in the body to rapidly shape communication signals? This project will identify the cellular mechanisms through which protein hormones regulate animal communication signals on a moment-to-moment basis. This project's experiments involve recording the electrical activity of cells that generate communication signals in electric fish, a system where protein hormones rapidly change the animal's communication signals during social interactions. By monitoring the cell's electrical activity in the presence of protein hormones, the experiments will determine how these hormones affect the molecules responsible for cellular electrical activity and the resulting communication signals. This work also will have broad impacts beyond its scientific contributions. It will result in the mentoring and training of graduate students, undergraduate students, and high-school students as research assistants in behavioral neurobiology. This project also will support the principal investigator's active educational outreach program which engages local science museums and K-12 science students.