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Dissecting sensory and endocrine control of parenting versus feeding

Award Number: R35GM142872
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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Dissecting sensory and endocrine control of parenting versus feeding - Project Summary: Motivated behaviors are often studied in isolation, but in reality animals must constantly choose between goal-directed actions. Parental behaviors are useful for studying these trade-offs because they require sacrificing other priorities like energy balance. These decisions vary by sex, physiological status, and species, so genetics and hormone signaling offer insights into how the brain generates behavior. In humans, males and females differ markedly in many physiological processes, causing differential risks for conditions such as obesity and numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, but the mechanistic bases for these differences are unclear. Cichlid fishes’ behaviors vary across the ~2000 closely related species, making them especially useful for studying their genetic regulation, and our group has developed modern genetic tools to test the function of genes and cells in the lab. Many cichlid species exhibit extreme parental care, in which mothers carry offspring in the mouth for ~2 weeks, foregoing feeding opportunities, while fathers provide minimal care. Thus, feeding and reproductive behaviors are mutually inhibitory; cichlids offer an opportunity to understand how behavior is influenced by sex, species, and physiological state. We seek to address three critical questions: (1) What is the cellular basis for variation in parenting? In most—but not all—cichlid species, parenting involves “mouthbrooding,” requiring embryo collection, constant tumbling and aeration, and monitoring embryo health. Anatomical differences across species indicate that parenting style co-varies with significant brain region size changes. To highlight cells that generate these behaviors, we will profile cell types that account for this systematic anatomical variation using single-cell transcriptomes in 3 brain regions active during parental care. (2) How does chemosensory signaling regulate parenting behavior? Chemosensation via a specific olfactory receptor drives male cichlids toward potential mates, but suppresses parental care by males. Our work shows that both males and females possess the neural circuits necessary for mouthbrooding, and parenting suppresses their feeding behaviors. We will determine how these sex differences arise by manipulating gonadal steroid signaling with pharmacology and CRISPR gene editing. Additionally, we will assess the contribution of taste pathways to initiation and motor phases of mouthbrooding care. (3) How does parenting inhibit feeding? Mouthbrooding requires a profound suppression of feeding behavior, leading to a loss of up to 20% of body mass in parenting cichlids, but the mechanism is not understood. We will investigate how reproductive hormones and taste cues initiate this feeding inhibition. In addition, we will determine whether mouthbrooding suppresses feeding through known metabolic pathways. Together, these studies will enable a deep understanding of the neural pathways that regulate parenting, how they differentiate by sex and species, and how they interact with feeding circuits to resolve competing drives.


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: 2026 ( Subtotal = $423,826 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	6	6/11/2026	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$423,826
														Subtotal = $423,826

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $378,282 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	5	8/4/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$378,282
														Subtotal = $378,282

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $378,282 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	7/29/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$378,282
														Subtotal = $378,282

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $378,282 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BLDG 7809 REGENTS DR	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	7/13/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$378,282
														Subtotal = $378,282

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $378,282 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BLDG 7809 REGENTS DR	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	2	7/29/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$378,282
														Subtotal = $378,282

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $378,282 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BLDG 7809 REGENTS DR	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	8/19/2021	NEW	$378,282
														Subtotal = $378,282

Grand Total All Awards = $2,315,236

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Dissecting sensory and endocrine control of parenting versus feeding

Award Number: R35GM142872

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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