9727915 Cornett The domestic chicken (Gallus domesticus) is an increasingly important human food source and a significant segment of the agricultural economy of the United States. An important goal of animal agriculture is to provide an abundant and economical food supply. Substantial economic gain could be realized by developing better methods to control the growth and reproductive processes in chickens. Vasotocin is an important peptide hormone produced in the brain that may be central to attaining this goal This hormone is involved in a number of functions including the regulation of blood pressure, water balance, and egg-laying. Vasotocin is released into the blood stream and acts on target organs (e.g. blood vessels, kidney, shell gland and brain) by binding to protein receptors on the surface of responsive cells. These receptors, help produce signals which ultimately cause the desired effect (e.g., increased blood pressure by stimulating contraction of arteries, water retention by stimulating the kidneys, or the laying of eggs by stimulating contraction of the shell gland). Unfortunately, little is known about the relationship between vasotocin and its receptors in non-mammalian vertebrates. Dr. Cornett will remedy this problem. Using a variety of molecular techniques, he will isolate the genes that encode vasotocin receptors. From the genes, the structures of the vasotocin receptors will be determined. Dr. Cornett will then make use of this information to establish a functional characteristics of the receptors. The cellular processes that are activated by vasotocin receptors will be also be determined using physiological techniques. Besides expanding our knowledge and understanding of the action of this important neuropeptide and the physiology of the domestic chicken, this research promises to provide novel new information about how the genes encoding vasotocin receptors are turned on and off. It follows that this new knowledge may provide insight into how this hormone sy stem can be manipulated to improve egg and meat production.
