Interactions between the immune and endocrine systems were first postulated nearly a century ago. Investigations of the interactions between these two important biological systems were sporadic over the next nine decades; however, within the last few years, scientist have begun to realize the importance of these two systems, and their interactions, in maintaining normal body functions and combating disease states. Dr. Kasson has recently identified a new protein produced by white blood cells of the immune system which communicates important stimulatory information to the reproduction endocrine system. He thinks that this protein may represent an important factor in immune-endocrine communication and have proposed studies to investigate the nature and functions of this protein. Initially he will define the nature and structure of the protein and identify any similarities between this protein and other known proteins. Latter studies will investigate how this protein interacts with cells of the reproductive system and how it elicits responses in reproductive cells. These studies will provide new information on how the immune endocrine systems communicate and may uncover new insights into how defects in these pathways produce disease states. A better understanding of the interactions between these two important biological regulatory systems may lead to new therapies to treat disease states involving deficits in immune-endocrine regulation (i.e. autoimmune diseases, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, infertility, etc.)
