In the Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology program, a multidisciplinary approach is used to study muscle biology in development, health, and disease. Researchers are studying the importance of neural activity on muscle-specific gene activity in order to understand the interaction between functional synaptic activity and morphogenesis. Advanced optical methods are used to identify the mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias by mapping electrical activity and channel function at both organ and cellular levels. Several investigators are involved in the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Center, an interprogrammatic research center that is attempting to develop a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Reproductive physiology and neuroendocrinology Neuroendocrine control of sexual development and gonadal function is central to human puberty, sexual maturation, and fertility.
Reproduction depends on interactions among the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads.
To understand this process in humans it is essential to use higher primates because of marked similarities between the primates and humans. For this reason, the Center for Reproductive Physiology maintains a colony of 350 rhesus monkeys. This colony is used in conjunction with contemporary molecular and cell imaging techniques to study the regulation of promoter activity by sex hormones, signal transduction mechanisms in spermatogenesis, the cellular and molecular basis of ovarian function, and the neurobiology of hypothalamic peptide secretion. The program has recently relocated to new, custom-designed quarters. The SBIC provides expertise and equipment in all aspects of microscopic imaging, including laser confocal microscopy, live cell multicolor fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy, and computer-aided imaging methods.