Several environmental factors including food availability and ambient temperature can affect reproductive response to day length. Previous work demonstrated population-wide variation in the extent that individuals display seasonal reproductive adaptations. The general goal of the current proposal is to continue the discovery of the physiological mechanisms that underlie variation in reproductive responses to extrinsic factors both in the brain and in the testes of adult deer mice (Peromycus maniculatus). The proposed studies will determine if gonadal regression in response to short days or restricted food intake results from down-regulation of angiogenic factors which led to programmed cell death (apoptosis). Experiments will also determine the role of pineal melatonin in the mediation of angiogenesis during gonadal regression. During """"""""spontaneous"""""""" gonadal recrudescence, we hypothesize that increased rates of vasculature remodeling and cellular growth, and reduced rates of programmed cell death will be observed, both in the testes and in the hypothalamic regions that regulate gonadal function. Other experiments will determine changes in expression of testicular genes during gonadal regression and redevelopment using cDNA microarrays, followed by Western analyses for products of putative regulatory genes. Microarray analyses will also be conducted to describe changes in the expression of brain genes during photoperiod-induced reproductive regression and photorefractoriness-induced gonadal development. Western blot analysis will then assess protein changes in the brain subsequent to up- and down-regulation of candidate """"""""photoperiodism genes"""""""" at key points in the seasonal cycle. Taken together, these studies will apply molecular approaches to study ecologically-relevant features of reproductive function. The results of the proposed studies should provide a molecular basis for the variation in reproductive responses, as well as provide both formal and mechanistic information about reproductive regression and recrudescence in seasonally-breeding rodents.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01MH057535-12A2
Application #
6470443
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IFCN-2 (01))
Project Start
1997-01-01
Project End
2007-04-30
Budget Start
2002-05-08
Budget End
2003-04-30
Support Year
12
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$331,688
Indirect Cost
Name
Ohio State University
Department
Neurosciences
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
098987217
City
Columbus
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
43210
Weil, Zachary M; Borniger, Jeremy C; Cisse, Yasmine M et al. (2015) Neuroendocrine control of photoperiodic changes in immune function. Front Neuroendocrinol 37:108-18
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Bedrosian, Tracy A; Nelson, Randy J (2013) Sundowning syndrome in aging and dementia: research in mouse models. Exp Neurol 243:67-73
Walton, James C; Pyter, Leah M; Weil, Zachary M et al. (2012) Photoperiod mediated changes in olfactory bulb neurogenesis and olfactory behavior in male white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). PLoS One 7:e42743
Walton, James C; Haim, Achikam; Spieldenner, James M et al. (2012) Photoperiod alters fear responses and basolateral amygdala neuronal spine density in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Behav Brain Res 233:345-50
Walton, J C; Chen, Z; Weil, Z M et al. (2011) Photoperiod-mediated impairment of long-term potention and learning and memory in male white-footed mice. Neuroscience 175:127-32
Walton, James C; Weil, Zachary M; Nelson, Randy J (2011) Influence of photoperiod on hormones, behavior, and immune function. Front Neuroendocrinol 32:303-19
Weil, Zachary M; Karelina, Kate; Su, Alan J et al. (2009) Time-of-day determines neuronal damage and mortality after cardiac arrest. Neurobiol Dis 36:352-60
Workman, Joanna L; Bowers, Stephanie L; Nelson, Randy J (2009) Enrichment and photoperiod interact to affect spatial learning and hippocampal dendritic morphology in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Eur J Neurosci 29:161-70

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