This award supports cooperative research on the regulation of hormone secretion in amphibian endocrine cells to be carried out by Illani Atwater and other researchers at NIH and Veronica Nassar-Gentina and her co-workers at the University of Chile. The co-workers are from the Faculty of Sciences in Montemar and the Faculty of Medicine in Santiago. Stimulus-secretion mechanisms in tadpole amphibian adrenal medulla and pancreatic cells will be compared to the same mechanisms in adult cells. Changes in cell membrane potentials and ionic channel activity will be measured and combined with measurements of hormone release in vitro. Many similarities exist between adult amphibian and mammalian hormone release patterns so it is important for this reason to establish a convenient non-mammalian animal model system. Part of the experiments will be carried out at the two Chilean laboratories and the rest at the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics at NIH in Bethesda. In this way, the two countries both contribute facilities and personnel and derive the mutual benefits of the collaboration between teams of scientists on both sides. The partial support of the Chilean researchers helps fulfill the objectives of the Science in Developing Countries Program.
