Regulatory mechanism of reproductive rhythms by male quail call stimulus that is different from the photoperiod.

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23570091
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Principal Investigator: UBUKA Takayoshi 東京医科歯科大学, 教養部, 非常勤講師 (10594286)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HATTORI Atsuhiko 東京医科歯科大学, 教養部, 教授 (70183910)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 生殖リズム / 社会的環境 / 雄の鳴声 / 聴覚野 / GnRH / LH

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project aimed to reveal how the social environment regulates reproductive rhythms in the animal. The strongest factor that regulates reproductive rhythms is the photoperiod in photoperiodic animals in the temperate zone. However, because reproduction is a social activity in nature, reproductive activity is also influenced by social stimuli from males and females of the same species. In this project, we identified a gene that its expression level was significantly increased in the quail brain by male quail call stimulus for a long period under short day photoperiod. We further investigated the location of the gene product and found that it is expressed in neuronal clusters in the auditory nucleus in the quail brain. These results suggest that the male quail call stimulus is processed in these neurons in the auditory nucleus and transferred to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons and regulate luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion independent from the short day photoperiod.

Free Research Field

Neuroendocrinology