Profile | Research | Publications | Grants | Website | Faculty Directory

Department Chair and Professor
of Animal and Avian Sciences

Ph.D. - University of Minnesota, 1988

Phone: 301-405-2516
Email: TEPorter@umd.edu

Research Interests:

Our research interests center on the neuroendocrine regulation of growth and metabolism. One major focus in our lab is the cellular differentiation of the anterior pituitary gland during embryonic development. Particular emphasis has been placed on the last two cell types to differentiate, the somatotrophs and lactotrophs, which secrete growth hormone and prolactin, respectively. Cell and molecular biology approaches are used to assess gene expression and hormone secretion from individual pituitary cells. These measurements of hormone production are made at specific stages of development or following experimental treatment of developing embryos or pituitary cells in culture. Our working model includes regulation by hormones from other endocrine glands as well as nuclear transcription factors and signal transduction cascades. Long-range goals of this project include defining the intracellular and extracellular regulation of pituitary cell differentiation during embryonic development. A second major focus in our lab is the study of global gene expression in the neuroendocrine system. High density cDNA microarrays, containing copies of more than 18,000 expressed genes have been developed to analyze levels of mRNA in chicken tissues. Rather than studying each gene, one at a time, this approach allows the study of all of the represented genes, simultaneously. These arrays likely represent about half of the chicken genome. Individual microarrays are used with pituitary or hypothalamic RNA samples isolated from animals at different stages of development or following experimental treatments. This project is aimed at identifying those genes involved in regulating growth and body composition in vertebrates.

Analysis of Global Gene Expression in the Avian Neuroendocrine System.pdf

Development of Chicken Neuroendocrine System cDNA Microarrays.pdf

Pituitary – Red Hypothalamus - Green	Pituitary – Green Pineal - Red