Acronym NA
Category
Marine Biotechnology
Title Maturation of the electrophysiological and intracellular signalling systems in teleost gonadotropes during puberty Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Trude Marie Haug Coordinator email t.m.haug@ibv.uio.no
Coordinator institution
UiO - University of Oslo (Norway)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2009 End year 2014 Funding (€) € 652,730 Website https://prosjektbanken.forskningsradet.no/en/project/FORISS/191825?Kilde=FORISS&distribution=Ar&chart=bar&calcType=funding&Sprak=no&sortBy=date&sortOrder=desc&resultCount=30&offset=0&Organisasjon.6=Institutt+for+molekyl%C3%A6r+biovitenskap Summary Puberty and sexual maturation in vertebrates are regulated through increased activity in the brain-pituitary-gonad axis. Stimulatory and inhibitory inputs merge in the forebrain on neuroendocrine neurons that produce gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRHs ). Upon stimulation, FSH and LH are released independently of each other into the circulation, and each stimulates different stages of gonadal development. The key factors in pubertal development probably include increased release of GnRH and maturation of gonadotropes, e.g. adequate expression of GnRH receptors and components of intracellular signaling pathways. However, how this is regulated and the triggering mechanism(s) for puberty are not known. The proposed experiments may answer these questions in fish, and imply similar answers for vertebrates in general. We believe that teleost fish are useful models, since they have separate cells producing FSH and LH. We have developed relevant methodologies, like primary pituitary cultures suitable for electr ophysiological recordings. This project aims to use transgenic medaka lines that express GFP in gonadotropes as a new model system. The transgenic fish will enable us to identify and isolate FSH- and LH-producing gonadotropes, respectively. In parallel, w e will perform similar studies on Atlantic cod, a species we already have started to characterize. In this species, we will be able to identify FSH- and LH-producing cells through single-cell PCR. The identified cells will be used in electrophysiological analyses as well as Ca2+-imaging studies to investigate properties of the two different gonadotropes at various stages of sexual maturation and upon exposure to various endogenous factors. We will simultaneously monitor changes in both membrane properties and [Ca2+]i during the response to different versions of the GnRH peptide, activators of putative messengers, like PKA, PKC and cAMP, and agonists/antagonists to the GnRH-R(s).
Keywords
Engineering;
Fish reproduction;
Cod;
Genetic;
Fish;
Fish biology;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
Marine Region Map
