2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Mechanisms Underlying The Seasonal Function In Pars Tuberalis

Research Project

Project/Area Number	22780266
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Basic veterinary science/Basic zootechnical science
Research Institution	Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University
Principal Investigator	NAKAO Nobuhiro 日本獣医生命科学大学, 応用生命科学部, 助教 (60377794)
Project Period (FY)	2010 – 2011
Keywords	下垂体隆起葉 / Eyesabsent3 / 甲状腺刺激ホルモン / 光周性 / ニホンウズラ
Research Abstract	Animals living outside the tropical region perform seasonalreproduction in accordance with changes in the photoperiod. Recent studies have demonstrated that pars tuberalis(located at the base of the anterior pituitary gland) plays an important role in photoperiodic time measurement. However, endocrine functions of the pars tuberalis have not been completely elucidated. To evaluate the potential role of the pars tuberalis in endocrine function, we observed the function of the Eyes absent 3(EYA3) since EYA3 mRNA expression was previously observed in the pars tuberalis in a time-dependent manner. The function of EYA3 in the pars tuberalis may not only be coactivation of transcription but also contribution to several other functions.