The neuroendocrine stress axis in amphibian development and physiology

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Exposure to stress early in life can have profound effects on physiology and behavior later in life, which may alter the ability of individuals to grow, compete for resources and reproduce, or may predispose them to disease. The effects of stress during early development are likely to be mediated by elevated levels of stress hormones (glucocorticoids) that serve to 'program' gene expression in the brain and other organs, leading to stable, long term changes in physiological function. This research is investigating the roles that glucocorticoids play in shaping the development of the neuroendocrine stress axis, which plays a key role in controlling behavior and physiology. For this work the investigators are using tadpoles and juveniles of the frog Xenopus tropicalis. The research is multidisciplinary, relying on immunohistochemical, endocrine, and behavioral approaches, and state-of-the-art molecular genetic and genome-wide analyses. This research will provide basic knowledge of the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which early life stress alters later life physiology and behavior in vertebrates. This work is also important for understanding the impacts of environmental degradation on the health of amphibian populations. Environmental insults during the tadpole stage can lead to lasting effects that could impact adult fecundity and survival, and thus contribute to population declines and extinctions. Understanding this potential, and the mechanisms involved is essential to devising effective conservation strategies. This grant supports the training of a postdoctoral scientist, a woman Ph.D. graduate student, and provides opportunities for undergraduate honors students to participate in research that will encourage the pursuit of careers in science.