9870793 Espey Mammalian ovaries have two important functions. They release eggs during the fertile years and they secrete steroid hormones to prepare the body for reproduction. these processes of ovulation and steroid secretion are carried out by ovarian follicles under the control of pituitary hormones known as gonadotropins. The principal aim of the present project by Dr. Espey is to isolate and identify the ovarian genes that are activated by the gonadotropic hormones from the pituitary gland. This analysis of ovarian gene expression will be carried out by a new procedure known as "differential display", which involves complex methods in molecular biology and recombinant DNA technologies. The Project will use laboratory rats as the experimental animal, because this species is a common and inexpensive subject for ovulation research. The information gained from this work should be useful in understanding ovulation and ovarian steroid secretion in all mammals, including humans, because it is generally believed that these procreative processes are similar in all species. In summary, the project will increase the existing knowledge of gene expression and related biochemical events that occur in the ovary during ovulation. The results will improve our understanding of how hormones work, and expand the science of regulating fertility and infertility.
