AS MOLECULAR TOOLS BECOME INCREASINGLY COMMON IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, EDUCATORS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THESE METHODS ARE NEEDED TO PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE, AS WELL AS INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE NECESSITY AND SAFETY OF THESE TOOLS FOR MAINTAINING AN AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CANDIDATE WILL PREPARE FOR A CAREER AS ONE OF THESE EDUCATORS BY THROUGH COMPLETION OF THE FOLLOWING THREE OBJECTIVES: 1) TO INCREASE PROFICIENCY IN GENERATING ACADEMIC CURRICULA; 2) TO ADVANCE HER ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION ABILITIES AND PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING IN THESE AREAS; AND 3) TO STRENGTHEN HER MOLECULAR RESEARCH SKILLS AND DEVELOP PROFICIENCY IN TRAINING UNDERGRADUATES IN GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE AND MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES. THE COMPLETION OF THESE OBJECTIVES BY THE CANDIDATE WILL ENSURE HER COMPETENCY AS AN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATOR WITH A STRONG BACKGROUND IN MOLECULAR TOOLS AND THE ABILITY TO CONVEY INFORMATION ABOUT THESE TOPICS TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. THE MODERN MEAT-TYPE (BROILER) IS THE PRODUCT OF INTENSIVE COMMERCIAL GENETIC SELECTION, WHICH HAS IMPROVED THEIR GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY. ONE SELECTION STRATEGY EMPLOYED IS THE TARGETING OF SPECIFIC BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS CONTROLLING GROWTH AND METABOLISM, SUCH AS THE ENDOCRINE AXES. THE ROLE OF GROWTH-PROMOTING HORMONES IS WELL-UNDERSTOOD IN MAMMALS, BUT LESS SO IN BIRDS. PREVIOUSLY, WE IDENTIFIED DIFFERENCES IN EXPRESSION FOR GENES ASSOCIATED WITH THE THYROID HORMONES (THS) AND INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR BINDING PROTEINS (IGFBPS) IN BREAST MUSCLE BETWEEN COMMERCIALLY SELECTED AND RANDOM BRED BROILERS REPRESENTATIVE OF THOSE FROM SIX DECADES PRIOR. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT TH AND IGFBP ACTION ALTERS MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT IN BIRDS BY REGULATION OF MUSCLE PROLIFERATION, CELLULAR DIFFERENTIATION, AND PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH. THIS PROJECT'S THREE SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO EXAMINE IGFBP REGULATION BY THS IN AVIAN MUSCLE CELLS, TO DETERMINE THE SIGNALING EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC IGFBPS ON AVIAN MUSCLE CELLS, AND TO DEFINE THE ROLES OF THE IGFBPS IN AVIAN MUSCLE CELL PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION. IT IS EXPECTED THAT EXPRESSION OF GROWTH-REGULATING GENES WILL BE ALTERED IN AVIAN MUSCLE CELLS AFTER HORMONE TREATMENT, INCLUDING THOSE KNOWN TO DIRECTLY REGULATE TH SIGNALING. ADDITIONALLY, HORMONE TREATMENT SHOULD BE ALTERED BY IGFBP ACTIVITY, PARTICULARLY BY CHANGING THE RATES OF CELLULAR PROLIFERATION AND APOPTOSIS MEASURED. TOGETHER, THIS PROJECT SHOULD ELUCIDATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BEHIND HORMONE-INDUCED DEVELOPMENT IN AVIAN MUSCLE, AN ECONOMICALLY VALUABLE TISSUE. IT WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF MEAT PRODUCTION, WHICH HAVE A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS SUCH AS COMMERCIAL GENETIC SELECTION, MANAGEMENT STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT, AND DIET FORMULATION PROMOTING MUSCLE GROWTH WITHOUT THE USAGE OF ANTIBIOTIC FEED ADDITIVES.