Research - Genetics and Cell Biology of Growth and Development

Our research interests center on the neuroendocrine regulation of growth and metabolism. We have two major focuses in our research program. One major focus in our lab is the cellular differentiation of the anterior pituitary gland during embryonic development. Particular emphasis has been placed on one type, the somatotrophs, which secretes growth hormone. 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 nearly all 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 genes, simultaneously. Individual microarrays are used with RNA samples isolated from animals at different stages of development or following experimental treatments. This project is aimed at identifying those genes and gene networks involved in regulating growth and body composition in vertebrates.

Teaching

• ANSC 212: Applied Animal Physiology
• ANSC 214: Applied Animal Physiology Laboratory
• ANSC 444: Domestic Animal Endocrinology
• ANSC 644: Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology

Awards and Honors

• Dean Gordon Cairns Award for Distinguished Creative Work and Teaching in Agriculture, May 2009
• College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Association Excellence in Instruction Award, April, 2007
• Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award, May, 2003
• College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Association Faculty Research Award, April, 2001
• Research highlighted on the cover of Endocrinology, July, 2000
• Recipient of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources 2000 Junior Faculty Excellence Award
• Research highlighted in an Endocrinology editorial, November, 1997 - Link
• Poultry Science Association Research Award, 1996

Other Accomplishments

• Author of 64 refereed scientific papers, 20 book chapters or reviews, and 110 abstracts
• Publications cited more than 970 times
• Author of 35,448 nucleotide sequence submissions to GenBank
• Author of five cDNA microarray platform submissions to GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus)
• Recipient of $4.5M in total funding from competitive federal grant support
• Research mentor to 4 postdoctoral fellows, 16 graduate students, and 40 undergraduate students

Publications

• Yu Y, Zhang H, Byerly MS, Bacon LD, Porter TE, Liu GE, Song J. Alternative splicing variants and DNA methylation status of BDNF in inbred chicken lines. Brain Res. 2009 May 7;1269:1-10. (link)
• Byerly MS, Simon J, Lebihan-Duval E, Duclos MJ, Cogburn LA, Porter TE. Effects of BDNF, T3, and corticosterone on expression of the hypothalamic obesity gene network in vivo and in vitro. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2009 Apr;296(4):R1180-9. (link)
• Heuck KA, Ellestad LE, Proudman JA, Porter TE. Somatotropin response in vitro to corticosterone and triiodothyronine during chick embryonic development: Involvement of type I and type II glucocorticoid receptors. Domest Anim Endocrinol. 2009 May;36(4):186-96. (link)
• Ellestad LE, Malkiewicz SA, Guthrie HD, Welch GR, Porter TE. Expression and regulation of glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper in the developing anterior pituitary gland. J Mol Endocrinol. 2009 Feb;42(2):171-83. (link)
• Dupont J, Tesseraud S, Derouet M, Collin A, Rideau N, Crochet S, Godet E, Cailleau-Audouin E, Métayer-Coustard S, Duclos MJ, Gespach C, Porter TE, Cogburn LA, Simon J. Insulin immuno-neutralization in chicken: effects on insulin signaling and gene expression in liver and muscle. J Endocrinol. 2008 Jun;197(3):531-42. (link)
• Cogburn LA, Porter TE, Duclos MJ, Simon J, Burgess SC, Zhu JJ, Cheng HH, Dodgson JB, Burnside J. Functional genomics of the chicken--a model organism. Poult Sci. 2007 Oct;86(10):2059-94. (link)
• Walzem RL, Baillie RA, Wiest M, Davis R, Watkins SM, Porter TE, Simon J, Cogburn LA. Functional annotation of genomic data with metabolic inference. Poult Sci. 2007 Jul;86(7):1510-22. (link)
• Nadaf J, Gilbert H, Pitel F, Berri CM, Feve K, Beaumont C, Duclos MJ, Vignal A, Porter TE, Simon J, Aggrey SE, Cogburn LA, Le Bihan-Duval E. Identification of QTL controlling meat quality traits in an F2 cross between two chicken lines selected for either low or high growth rate. BMC Genomics. 2007 Jun 8;8:155. (link)
• Jenkins SA, Muchow M, Richards MP, McMurtry JP, Porter TE. Administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone during chicken embryonic development prematurely induces pituitary growth hormone cells. Endocrinology. 2007 Aug;148(8):3914-21. (link)
• Porter TE, Ghavam S, Muchow M, Bossis I, Ellestad L. Cloning of partial cDNAs for the chicken glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors and characterization of mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary gland during chick embryonic development. Domest Anim Endocrinol. 2007 Aug;33(2):226-39. (link)
• Carre W, Wang X, Porter TE, Nys Y, Tang J, Bernberg E, Morgan R, Burnside J, Aggrey SE, Simon J, Cogburn LA. Chicken genomics resource: sequencing and annotation of 35,407 ESTs from single and multiple tissue cDNA libraries and CAP3 assembly of a chicken gene index. Physiol Genomics. 2006 May 16;25(3):514-24. (link)
• Ellestad LE, Carre W, Muchow M, Jenkins SA, Wang X, Cogburn LA, Porter TE. Gene expression profiling during cellular differentiation in the embryonic pituitary gland using cDNA microarrays. Physiol Genomics. 2006 May 16;25(3):414-25. (link)
• Porter TE, Ellestad LE, Fay A, Stewart JL, Bossis I. Identification of the chicken growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRH-R) mRNA and gene: regulation of anterior pituitary GHRH-R mRNA levels by homologous and heterologous hormones. Endocrinology. 2006 May;147(5):2535-43. (link)
• Porter TE, Lopez ME, Mike R, Huberty AF (2006) The increase in prolactin-secreting cells in incubating chicken hens can be mimicked by extended treatment of pituitary cells in vitro with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Domestic Animal Endocrinology 30 (2006) 126-134. (link)
• Muchow M, Bossis I, Porter TE (2005) Ontogeny of pituitary thyrotrophs and regulation by endogenous thyroid hormone feedback in the chick embryo. J Endocrinol 184:407-16 (link)
• Porter TE (2005) Regulation of pituitary somatotroph differentiation by hormones of peripheral endocrine glands. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 29:52-62 (link)
• Porter TE, Ellestad LE (2005) Gene expression profiling in the developing neuroendocrine system of the chick. Functional Avian Endocrinology, Dawson A, Sharp PJ (Eds.), Narosa Publishing House, New Dehli, pp. 45-56
• Fu X, Nishimura S, Porter TE (2004) Evidence that lactotrophs do not differentiate directly from somatotrophs during chick embryonic development. J Endocrinol 183: 417-425 (link)
• Moore RW, Hargis BM, Porter TE, Caldwell DY, Oubre CM, Vandesande F, Berghman LR (2004) Ovoinhibitor in the chicken bursa of Fabricius: identification, isolation, and localization. Cell Tissue Res 317:247-251 (link)
• Cogburn LA, Wang X, Carre W, Rejto L, Aggrey SE, Duclos M, Simon J, Porter TE (2004) Functional genomics in chickens: Development of integrated-systems microarrays for transcriptional profiling and discovery of regulatory pathways. Comparative Functional Genomics 5: 253-261
• Bossis I, Nishimura S, Muchow M, Porter TE (2004) Pituitary expression of type I and type II glucocorticoid receptors during chicken embryonic development and their involvement in growth hormone cell differentiation. Endocrinology 145:3523-3531.
• Jenkins SA, Porter TE (2004) Ontogeny of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in the chicken embryo: a review. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 26:267-275.
• Xiaoqin Fu and Tom E. Porter, Glucocorticoid Induction of Lactotrophs and Prolactin Gene Expression in Chicken Embryonic Pituitary Cells: A Delayed Response Relative to Stimulated Growth Hormone Production. Endocrinology, Mar 2004; 145: 1322 - 1330.
• Oubre CM, Zhang X, Clements KE, Porter TE, Berghman LR (2004) Immunohistochemical assessment of the neurosecretory cells of the chicken thymus using a novel monoclonal antibody against avian chromogranin A. Dev Comp Immunol 28:337-345.
• Liu L, Porter TE (2004) Endogenous thyroid hormones modulate pituitary somatotroph differentiation during chicken embryonic development. J Endocrinol 2004 180, 45-53

Grants

Project	Funding Source	Amount
Regulation of Growth Hormone Gene Expression During Chicken Development (09-11)	USDA - National Research Initiative	$350,000
Probiotic-induced differential gene expression during Salmonella challenge in neonatal chicks (08-10)	USDA - National Research Initiative	$125,000
Regulation of Growth Hormone Secretion During Chicken Development. (06 to 08)	USDA - National Research Initiative	$380,000
Regulation of hypothalamic expression of genes controlling feed intake and metabolism in chickens. (05 to 06)	MAES Competitive Grant	$20,000
Integrated Analysis of Gene Networks Controlling Feed Intake and Energy Metabolism in Chickens. (04-07)	USDA - National Research Initiative	$163,621
Regulation of Growth Hormone Cell Differentiation and Secretion. (02-05)	USDA - National Research Initiative	$206,551
Deep Sequencing of a Chicken Hypothalamus/Pituitary cDNA Library (02-04)	MAES Competitive Grant	$35,000
A consortium for functional mapping of growth-regulating genes in broiler chickens. (01-04)	USDA - Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems	$202,500