Research interests
Our major research interest at the Centre for Neuroendocrinology is in the neuroendocrinology of stress.
Current research focuses on two major areas. First, understanding the complex regulation of the adrenal medullary chromaffin cell, specifically how it regulates its secretory output of catecholamines and peptides in response to multiple stress-activated inputs. Much recent work has been directed at understanding how cytokines interact with this stress response.
Our second major interest concerns the role of another cytokine, prolactin, on the stress axis. Specifically we are interested in how stressors alter prolactin secretion from the pituitary and what role this prolactin then plays in stress adaptation under different physiological states.
- Neuroendocrinology of stress
- Cell biology of the adrenal medulla
- Prolactin and the stress axis
Clinical conditions
Impaired or inappropriate adaptation to stress contributes to many major disease states.
Associate Professor Bunn's researcher profile
List of publications for Stephen Bunn (Google Scholar)
Bunn Laboratory staff & students
Paul Cromb, PhD student
In situ detection of enkephalin release
Email cropa766@student.otago.ac.nz
Panagiotis Papaioannou, PhD student
Ca2+-signalling in TIDA neurons
Email panagiotis.papaioannou@postgrad.otago.ac.nz
Joe Yip, Postdoctoral Fellow
Remodelling of hypothalamic neurons during pregnancy and lactation
Email joe.yip@otago.ac.nz
Shahd Al-Isawi, Masters student
Prolactin actions on the adrenal cortex
Will Aye, Masters student
Heterogenous stress responses of adrenal medullary chromaffin cells
Visit Our people for an alphabetical list of all Centre for Neuroendocrinology staff.
Publications
Aye, W., Georgescu, T., & Bunn, S. (2021). Ca2+-imaging in rat adrenal slices reveal chromaffin cell heterogeneity. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1537), (pp. 105-106). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Nair, B. B., Khant Aung, Z., Porteous, R., Prescott, M., Glendining, K. A., Jenkins, D. E., Augustine, R. A., … Yip, S. H., Bouwer, G. T., Brown, C. H., Jasoni, C. L., Campbell, R. E., Bunn, S. J., Anderson, G. M., Grattan, D. R., Herbison, A. E., & Iremonger, K. J. (2021). Impact of chronic variable stress on neuroendocrine hypothalamus and pituitary in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jne.12972
Gustafson, P., Ladyman, S. R., McFadden, S., Larsen, C., Khant Aung, Z., Brown, R. S. E., Bunn, S. J., & Grattan, D. R. (2020). Prolactin receptor-mediated activation of pSTAT5 in the pregnant mouse brain. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 32, e12901. doi: 10.1111/jne.12901
Yip, S. H., Araujo-Lopes, R., Szawka, R. E., York, J., Hyland, B., Grattan, D. R., & Bunn, S. J. (2020). Morphological plasticity of the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons in the rat during the estrous cycle and lactation. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 32(11), e12884. doi: 10.1111/jne.12884
Yip, S. H., Romano, N., Hodson, D. J., Williams, E., Gustafson, P., Kokay, I., … Grattan, D. R., & Bunn, S. J. (2019, September). Elevated prolactin during pregnancy drives a phenotypic switch in mouse hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons. Poster session presented at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
