THE CORPUS LUTEUM (CL) IS AN OVARIAN GLAND THAT SYNTHESIZES AND SECRETIONS PROGESTERONE, WHICH IS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN PREGNANCY. LUTEINIZING HORMONE (LH) AND PROSTAGLANDIN (PG) F2Α ARE HORMONES THAT DIFFERENTIALLY REGULATE THE CL PROMOTING STEROIDOGENESIS (LH) OR LUTEAL REGRESSION (PGF2Α). DIMINISHED CIRCULATING PROGESTERONE RESULTS IN EARLY PREGNANCY LOSS. THIS LOSS OF POTENTIAL PREGNANCIES CONTRIBUTES TO MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LOST ANNUALLY IN THE UNITED STATES DAIRY AND BEEF INDUSTRIES DUE TO UNREALIZED MILK AND MEAT PRODUCTION. MITOCHONDRIA ARE CRITICAL FOR STEROIDOGENESIS AND CELL VIABILITY. MITOCHONDRIA ARE STRUCTURALLY DYNAMIC ORGANELLES, MAINTAINING A HIGHLY REGULATED EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN FUSION AND FISSION TO SUSTAIN BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION. DYNAMIN-LIKE-1 (DNM1L) IS A MEDIATOR OF MITOCHONDRIAL FISSION AND IS REGULATED BY PHOSPHORYLATION EVENTS ON TWO SITES OF DNM1L WHICH HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION. WE HYPOTHESIZE AN INCREASED RATIO OF ACTIVE/INACTIVE DNM1L INHIBITS STEROIDOGENESIS AND PROMOTES APOPTOSIS. THE GOALS ARE TO DETERMINE HOW LH AND PGF2Α, INFLUENCE LUTEAL FUNCTION BY REGULATING DNM1L PHOSPHORYLATION AND LOCALIZATION. USING CONFOCAL, THIS RESEARCH WILL IDENTIFY HOW LH AND DNM1L EFFECTS MITOCHONDRIAL DYNAMICS AND CONTRIBUTE TO STEROIDOGENESIS. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL IDENTIFY THE MECHANISM BY WHICH PGF2Α INFLUENCES DNM1L AND DETERMINE THE ROLE OF DNM1L IN LUTEAL REGRESSION. THIS POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH PROJECT MENTORED BY DR. JOHN DAVIS (UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER) ALIGNS WITH THE PRIORITY AREA OF ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS AND WITH THE EWD GOAL OF CULTIVATING FUTURE LEADERS WHO ARE ABLE TO SOLVE EMERGING AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY INCLUDING SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION.

Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska

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