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William C. Engeland, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Neuroscience E-mail: engel002@umn.edu

Research Interests:

The focus of the laboratory is to delineate neuroendocrine mechanisms for the control of secretory function of the adrenal cortex.

Currently, we are addressing the following two primary research questions:

1. Since adrenal cells express circadian clock genes, rhythms in corticosterone secretion may be dependent on an adrenal pacemaker that generates the secretory rhythm. Ongoing experiments are using mPER2::Luciferase (mPER2Luc) knockin mice to test the hypothesis that inputs to the adrenal that include ACTH and sympathetic neural activity entrain the adrenal clock that in turn generates oscillations in corticosterone output.

2. Using water restriction and drinking as a model of stress relief, our experiments have established that vagal-mediated mechanisms are involved in rapid decreases in plasma corticosterone when dehydrated rats drink. Activation of the vagus nerve could reduce glucocorticoids rapidly and thus, play an important role in limiting the adverse effects of glucocorticoid exposure. Ongoing experiments are addressing this possibility.

Selected Publications:

(For a comprehensive list of recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)

Abrams JM, Engeland WC, Osborn JW. Effect of intracerebroventricular benzamil on cardiovascular and central autonomic responses to DOCA-salt treatment. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2010 Dec;299(6):R1500-10.

Tran, P.V., M.K. Georgieff and W.C. Engeland. Sodium depletion increases sympathetic neurite outgrowth and expression of a novel TMEM35 gene-derived protein (TUF1) in the rat adrenal zona glomerulosa. Endocrinology. 2010 Oct;151(10):4852-60.

Arnhold, M.M. J.M. Yoder, and W.C. Engeland. Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy prevents drinking-induced reduction in plasma corticosterone in water-restricted rats. Endocrinology 150: 2300-2307, 2009.

Arnhold MM, Wotus C, Engeland WC . Differential regulation of parvocellular neuronal activity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus following single vs. repeated episodes of water restriction-induced drinking. Exp Neurol. 2007 Jul;206(1):126-36.

Wotus C, Arnhold MM, Engeland WC . Dehydration-induced drinking decreases Fos expression in hypothalamic paraventricular neurons expressing vasopressin but not corticotropin-releasing hormone. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2007 Mar;292(3):R1349-58.

Ulrich-Lai YM, Arnhold MM, Engeland WC . Adrenal splanchnic innervation contributes to the diurnal rhythm of plasma corticosterone in rats by modulating adrenal sensitivity to ACTH. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2006 Apr;290(4):R1128-35.

Former Graduate Students:

Michelle Arnhold (Ph.D. 2008, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Ada I. Fraticelli, (M.S. 2001, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Yve Ulrich-Lai, (Ph.D. 2002, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Cheryl Wotus (Ph.D. 2003, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Michael P. Jasper (Ph.D., Neurobiology, Brown University) Employed as Senior Manager, Medical Writing at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA

Jagruti Patel (M.S., Biomedical Science, Brown University), Employed as Plastic Surgeon, Beverly Hospital, Beverly, MA