Title: Does Prenatal Undernutrition Impair Body Fluid Homeostasis in Birds? Role of Aquaporin2- PI: Hiroko Nishimura; Institution: The University of Tennessee Memphis- The Health Science Center
The cardiovascular-renal system controls normal ion and water balance, which is critical to life. Recent work has shown that nutritional deficiencies in early life can have consequences at older stages. Birds are unique models for examining the effects on fluid balance and nutrition supply during development as the egg is unaffected by maternal circulation. Using an avian model (Japanese quail) this study will test several hypotheses: 1) whether poor nutrition in early quail early ontogenetic stages retards the kidney development and/or impacts water channel expression/function of hatchlings and, 2) whether poor nutrition results in physiological malfunction in the adult such as loss of homeostasis (water balance). The PI will test the above hypotheses by measuring bird growth rate, plasma osmolality and electrolytes, conducting morphological analyses of kidney development and determining water channel expression/function using molecular biology techniques. The proposed research involves several developmental stages and will use multidisciplinary approaches, which will aid in the education of several students in physiological and molecular techniques and how information obtained at the cellular level is interpreted at the organ/whole animal level. This study will have broad scientific and educational impact for understanding cellular and integrative mechanisms of homeostasis in avians as well as how nutrition affects kidney growth and homeostasis in adults. The Department of Physiology has developed a network of local and minority colleges and this study will include undergraduate, graduate students and a postdoctoral investigator.
