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Induced immunity as a source of maternal effects on offspring phenotype

Award Number: R15HD076308
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2013
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2021

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Induced immunity as a source of maternal effects on offspring phenotype - Project Summary Maternal effects comprise non-genetic influences on offspring phenotype resulting from the environmental experience of the mother. Prenatal stress is an important source of maternal effects, which can have profound effects on the resulting phenotype of the offspring, and, in humans, can lead to impaired growth, disruption of cognitive and emotional development, and physical disorders. Stress results in the secretion of stress hormones (i.e., glucocorticoids) that, although beneficial in the short-term, can lead to deterioration in the health of an individual if they remain chronically elevated. The particular focus in our proposed studies will be the prenatal maternal stress that ensues when immune responses of females are experimentally activated independently of the potentially confounding effects of infection during reproduction. Our proposed research employs a wild bird model that provides an excellent alternative model to evaluate maternal effects of prenatal stress because: (i) the endocrine systems of birds are similar to those of mammals, (ii) bird embryos are readily amenable to experimental manipulation within eggs, and (iii) wild birds are easily captured and manipulated in their natural environment, allowing inferences about the role of maternal stress to be made in a realistic evolutionary context. Our current expiring NIH-AREA project has revealed that experimentally induced immune responses lead to increased corticosterone levels in females and their eggs, and that this results in a significant influence on offspring size, health state, and immunity. We propose to build on this empirical foundation by: (i) characterizing the persistent influence of these maternal effects on the adult offspring phenotype, with specific reference to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, parental competence, and sex-specific trans- generational effects; and (ii) evaluating directly the role of the primary avian glucocorticoid, corticosterone, in mediating these effects by: a) employing a noninvasive method of increasing maternal corticosterone in the absence of any overt prenatal stress and b) experimentally blocking or reducing circulating maternal corticosterone in immunostimulated females. The proposed research will meet a primary goal of the AREA (R15) program in that it will expose undergraduate students to research that combines both field and laboratory work in a hypothetico-deductive framework to address important biomedical questions in a natural setting.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = -$4,176 )
2023	2017	BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY	CAMPUS BOX 1100	NORMAL	IL	61790	MCLEAN	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	10/1/2022	COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$4,176
														Subtotal = -$4,176

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2017	BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY	302 HOVEY HALL	NORMAL	IL	61790	MCLEAN	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	7/22/2022	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2018	2013	ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY	302 HOVEY HALL	NORMAL	IL	61790	MCLEAN	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	10/28/2017	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $434,383 )
2017	2017	ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY	302 HOVEY HALL	NORMAL	IL	61790	MCLEAN	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	9/6/2017	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$434,383
														Subtotal = $434,383

Issue Date FY: 2013 ( Subtotal = $411,576 )
2013	2013	ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY	1200 COMPTROLLERS OFFICE	NORMAL	IL	61790	MCLEAN	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	3/8/2013	NEW	$411,576
														Subtotal = $411,576

Grand Total All Awards = $841,783

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Induced immunity as a source of maternal effects on offspring phenotype

Award Number: R15HD076308

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2013

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2021

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