1979 — 1980 |
Kuenzel, Wayne Mather, Ian [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Acquisition of Equipment For Fluorescent Microscopy @ University of Maryland College Park |
0.961 |
2002 — 2006 |
Baeyens, Dennis Kuenzel, Wayne Cornett, Lawrence [⬀] Kirby, John (co-PI) [⬀] Ali, Nawab (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Cloning and Functional Characterization of An Avian Pituitary Gland Vasotocin Receptor @ University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Campus
The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in vertebrate animals is important for regulation of responses to stress, chiefly by release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary, which in turn stimulates release of steroid glucocorticoids from the adrenal glands. In birds, the peptide compound arginine vasotocin (AVT), which regulates water balance and reproduction, may be a major factor regulating ACTH release from the pituitary gland, though this function has not yet been well defined in birds. This project tests the hypothesis that a novel VT receptor molecule is expressed by certain cells in the pituitary, and mediates the stimulatory effect of AVT on ACTH release. A collaborative team with complementary skills will use molecular, cellular, biochemical and behavioral approaches in a uniquely integrative, comparative study to clone and characterize this novel receptor, to localize the cells expressing the receptors, and to establish the physiological role for the VT receptors. Results will be important in neuroendocrinology for understanding comparative aspects of pituitary function in vertebrates other than mammals; for an integrated understanding of molecular, cellular and behavioral mechanisms for stress regulation; and for general aspects of poultry reproduction. It will also have a broader impact on bird physiology, on general vertebrate endocrinology and reproductive behavior. There is also a strong impact on scientific infrastructure because the project has a training component including graduates and undergraduates, and involves three campuses in an EPSCoR state.
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2003 — 2007 |
Kuenzel, Wayne Ferrari, Michael (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Location and Neuroendocrine Function of Putative Encephalic Photoreceptors
Lay Abstract Many vertebrates, including various species of birds anticipate seasonal changes each year and an environmental cue utilized to predict the occurrence of seasons is day length or photoperiod. For many years scientists have hypothesized that avian species have photoreceptors and neural systems designed to register day length and this information to determine the opportune time to migrate or to reproduce and raise young successfully. A question that remains unanswered is, where are the photoreceptors utilized for seasonal information located and how do they work? Photoreceptors have been localized in the eyes, pineal gland, and brain. Scientists refer to photoreceptors in the brain as encephalic photoreceptors (EPRs). One of the most robust, seasonal events displayed by several avian species is rapid development of the reproductive system when day length has increased. Therefore it is important to evaluate each set of receptors that could play a role in this phenomenon. A combination of techniques that rapidly stimulate development of the gonads coupled with microsurgical techniques directed to anatomical sites where photoreceptors are known to occur, will be utilized to determine which group of receptors play a role in seasonal growth of the reproductive system, such as development of the gonads. In the present studies a cell culture procedure will be utilized to keep photoreceptors viable for hours, to determine whether cells respond to direct flashes of light with a significant reduction in calcium concentration. These experiments should (1) establish whether or not EPRs are solely responsible for development of the reproductive system in chicks, and (2) positive research experience to both undergraduate and graduate students.. These results provide important information for geneticists responsible for monitoring domestic or wild breeder flocks. Avian geneticists could selectively choose breeder flocks that exhibit increased numbers or responses of EPRs to light to maximize the response of maturing chicks to photoperiodic manipulation thereby increasing reproductive efficiency.
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2004 — 2007 |
Kuenzel, Wayne Durdik, Jeannine (co-PI) [⬀] Kirby, John (co-PI) [⬀] Parcells, Mark (co-PI) [⬀] Lehmann, Michael |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Acquisition of a Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope For the Molecular Biosciences
This award supports the acquisition of a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) to enhance research in cellular and molecular biosciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Research projects that will utilize the instrumentation include: (1) activation and movement of viruses from cell to cell in birds and plants, (2) resolving chromosomal organization, kinetochore-chormosomal interactions and chromosome breakage in yeast, Drosophila, and mice, (3) protein targeting and transport in plant cells, (4) cellular interactions between immune cells and pigment cells, and (5) reproductive tract development in birds. The instrument will greatly expand the research opportunities for biology faculty and their graduate and undergraduate research students, and the potential also exists for use of the instrument by researchers in the Departments of Chemistry and Physics to evaluate biosensors and films used in biological nanotechnology. The LSCM will be fully incorporated into undergraduate and graduate research and teaching programs.
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2009 — 2015 |
Kuenzel, Wayne Thallapuranam, Suresh Kumar (co-PI) [⬀] Jurkevich, Alexander |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Collaborative Research On Central Neuroplasticity of the Avian Vasotocinergic System During Stress
Robustness and plasticity are two fundamental properties of living organisms required to sustain their ability to adapt to the changing environment. The brain contains a complex neural network enabling individuals to make rapid as well as sustained adjustments to their behavior and physiological functions to cope with unexpected stresses such as overcrowding, temperature changes, and food shortages. This neural network is a set of anatomical structures interconnected by signaling molecules that is termed the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This network regulates responses to stress and plays a fundamental role in adaptation in all vertebrates. Within this network, the neurohormone vasotocin has a wide range of physiological and behavioral effects in all sub-mammalian vertebrate classes. The planned studies have three goals. First, the collaborative team will determine how various cellular and molecular components of the vasotocin system interact during stress. Second, they will characterize the changes in these interactions when an acute stress exposure instead becomes a chronic one. Third, the structural and molecular basis for concerted effects of vasotocin and another neurohormone, corticotrophin-releasing hormone, on an animal's adaptation to stress will be examined. The proposed activity is a joint effort of two very different educational institutions, a land grant university with a major agricultural focus and an academic health sciences center, both located in Arkansas where fewer training opportunities in neuroscience exist. The successful collaboration will demonstrate to students, who will be trained and introduced to a number of up-to-date techniques, the importance of networking between diverse academic cultures to advance knowledge and build unique scientific careers.
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