Estrogen receptors, photoperiod, and aggression

描述（由申请人提供）：后基因组时代最重要的科学进展之一是阐明了基因和环境的相互作用。这些相互作用的存在已经得到了很好的证实，但只有在过去的十年里，这些相互作用的细节才能在分子水平上得到检验。本申请旨在研究白天长度对海滩小鼠雌激素受体（ER）表达、攻击性和交配行为的影响。首先，将检查长日照和短日照对ER α和ER β蛋白和mRNA的影响。第二，ER调节的功能后果将通过激素操纵实验进行检查，该实验将测试ER α和ER β在长日照和短日照下对攻击和交配行为的影响。最后，本研究将研究ER阳性细胞在不同社会环境中的反应。重要的是，海滩鼠的行为反应与人类的行为反应相似，因为行为变化在不同季节都能观察到，但生殖活动不会受到短日照的抑制。越来越多的临床研究表明，雌激素对攻击性行为和精神障碍有重要影响。拟议的研究应该提供一个新的和重要的框架，以了解环境如何与ER功能相互作用，以调节行为。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): One of the most important scientific advances in the post-genomic age has been the elucidation of gene and environment interactions. The existence of these interactions has been well-established, but only within the past decade could the details of these interactions be examined at a molecular level. This application proposes to examine the effects of day length on estrogen receptor (ER) expression, aggression, and mating behavior in beach mice. First, the effects of long days and short days on ERalpha and ERbeta protein and mRNA will be examined. Second, the functional consequences of ER regulation will be examined with hormone manipulation experiments that will test the effects of ERalpha and ERbeta on aggression and mating behavior in long days and short days. Finally, this research will examine how ER positive cells respond in different social contexts. Importantly, the behavioral responses of the beach mouse resemble those of humans in that behavioral changes are observed across seasons, but reproductive activity is not suppressed by short days. There is a growing body of clinical research which indicates that estrogenic function has important effects on aggressive behavior and mental disorders. The proposed research should provide a novel and important framework to understand how the environment interacts with ER function to modulate behavior.