RECEPTORS AND SIGNALING IN NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEMS

The regulation of gene expression by neurotransmitters and neuropeptides
begins with the binding of ligands to specific membrane receptors. The
overall goal of this Program is to understand the pathways used by
receptor-activated second messenger systems to produce changes in gene
expression. The first specific aim is to identify and characterize
pathways that mediate signal transduction events important for cell growth
and differentiation. These studies examine pathways involved in Drosophila
embryogenesis and thyroid follicular cell growth. The second goal
addresses how the seemingly ubiquitous CAMP second messenger pathway
produces distinct patterns of biological effects. These studies focus on
the mechanisms involved in the intracellular targeting of protein kinase A
and the multifunctonal character of the CAMP-regulated enhancer. The third
goal addresses how changes in intracellular calcium modulates expression of
specific target genes. Core facilities provide support instrumentation,
and reagents that insure the efficient accomplishment of each of these
aims. These shared facilities include tissue culture, peptide synthesis
and sequencing, antibody production, and administrative cores.