Reproductive and developmental biologists at the University of Kansas Medical Center propose a Basic Research P30 Center that focuses on topics related to fertility and infertility. The Center will be directed by Paul F. Terranova, Professor of Physiology and Obstetrics & Gynecology, and the Associate Director will be Gilbert S. Greenwald, Distinguished Professor of Physiology. The primary investigators and their research interests are: Glen Andrews, structure/regulation of the metallothionein gene and transcriptional control of cytokines/growth factors in preimplantation embryo development; S.K. Dey, expression and regulation of growth factors in the uterus and embryo during the peri-implantation period; George Enders, cellular interactions during spermatogenesis including identification of cell adhesion molecules on spermatogenic cells; Joan Hunt, immunologic interactions between maternal and extraembryonic cells that promote fertility; Kazuhiko Imakawa, identification of proteins involved in the maternal recognition of pregnancy; William Kinsey, signal transduction events at fertilization with specific interest in non- receptor tyrosine protein kinases; Girish Shah, cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with neuroendocrine regulation of prolactin gene expression and prolactin secretion; Michael Soares, control of trophoblast differentiation and identification of novel prolactin-like proteins expressed by placental cells; Joseph Tash, basic biochemical mechanisms regulating sperm flagellar movement with a major emphasis on protein phosphorylation; Paul Terranova, role of ovarian tumor necrosis factor- alpha in growth, differentiation and development of ovarian cells; James Voogt, neurochemical regulation of prolactin secretion and the influence of aging on secretion of prolactin and dopamine. The Core laboratories and (Directors) are: Cell Culture Core (Joan Hunt) provides high quality/low cost reagents for cell culture and manages commonly used cell lines. Image Analysis/Photography Core (Joseph Tash) provides production and analysis of images associated with in situ hybridization, autoradiography, immunocytochemistry and histology. Transgenic Core (S.K. Dey) produces transgenic animals and manages the breeding of various transgenic lines. A New Program Development Project by Michael Wolfe, Assistant Professor of Physiology, entitled """"""""Transcriptional Regulation of Gonadotropin beta Subunits During Development and by Hormones"""""""" is also included and will expand and complement existing research in molecular biology. In summary, this center will be an extremely stimulating environment that fosters high quality basic research in the reproductive sciences.
