Francesco J. DeMayo

Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA) is widely expressed throughout the female reproductive system. To assess its role in progesterone receptor-expressing cells, we generated RhoA conditional knockout mice RhoAd/d (RhoAf/f-Pgr-Cre+/-). …

Establishment of pregnancy is a critical event, and failure of embryo implantation and stromal decidualization in the uterus contribute to significant numbers of pregnancy losses in women. Glands of the uterus are essential for establishmen…

Study questionIs Growth Regulation by Estrogen in Breast Cancer 1 (GREB1) required for progesterone-driven endometrial stromal cell decidualization?Summary answerGREB1 is a novel progesterone-responsive gene required for progesterone-driven…

Human fertility is a relatively inefficient process. Despite the presence of visibly healthy embryos, 30% of pregnancies generated by assisted reproductive technology (ART) fail before the second trimester. The uterine microenvironment play…

Estrogen and progesterone coupled with locally produced signaling molecules are essential for embryo implantation. However, the hierarchical landscape of the molecular pathways that governs this process remains largely unexplored. Here we s…

Myometrium holds the structural integrity for the uterus and generates force for parturition with its primary component, the smooth muscle cells. The progesterone receptor mediates progesterone-dependent signaling and connects to a network …

Altered progesterone responsiveness leads to female infertility and cancer, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Mice with uterine-specific ablation of GATA binding protein 2 (Gata2) are infertile, showing failures in embryo implantati…

DGCR8 is an RNA-binding protein that interacts with DROSHA to produce pre-microRNA in the nucleus, while DICER generates not only mature microRNA, but also endogenous small interfering RNAs in the cytoplasm. Here, we produced Dgcr8 conditio…

Epigenetic silencing of steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) is lost in endometriosis, potentially contributing to de novo local steroidogenesis favoring inflammation and growth of ectopic endometrial tissue. In this study, we examine the impact of…

Alterations in estrogen-mediated cellular signaling play an essential role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. In addition to higher estrogen receptor (ER) β levels, enhanced ERβ activity was detected in endometriotic tissues, and the inh…

The forkhead box O1A (FOXO1) is an early-induced target of the protein kinase A pathway during the decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). In this study we identified the cistrome and transcriptome of FOXO1 and its role …

As pleiotropic coregulators, members of the p160/steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) family control a broad spectrum of transcriptional responses that underpin a diverse array of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Because of the…

Infertility and reproductive-associated disease are global problems in the world today affecting millions of women. A successful pregnancy requires a healthy uterus ready to receive and support an implanting embryo. As an endocrine organ, t…

Infertility and adverse gynecological outcomes such as preeclampsia and miscarriage represent significant female reproductive health concerns. The spatiotemporal expression of growth factors indicates that they play an important role in pre…

Early embryo miscarriage is linked to inadequate endometrial decidualization, a cellular transformation process that enables deep blastocyst invasion into the maternal compartment. Although much of the cellular events that underpin endometr…

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII; NR2F2) is an orphan nuclear receptor involved in cell-fate specification, organogenesis, angiogenesis, and metabolism. Ablation of COUP-TFII in the mouse uterus causes …

In order to understand the biology of the endometrium and potentially develop new diagnostic tools and treatments for endometrial diseases, the highly orchestrated gene expression/regulation that occurs within the uterus must first be under…

The regulation of blastocyst implantation in the uterus is orchestrated by the ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone. These hormones act via their nuclear receptors to direct the transcriptional activity of the endometrial compartments…

Endometriosis is considered to be an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease, but its etiology is unclear. Thus far, a mechanistic role for steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs) in the progression of endometriosis has not been elucidated. An…

The ovarian steroid progesterone, acting through the progesterone receptor (PR), coordinates endometrial epithelial-stromal cell communication, which is critical for its development and function. PR expression in these cellular compartments…

During the early stages of pregnancy, fertilized embryos must attach to the uterine epithelium, invade into the underlying uterine stroma, and the stroma must then differentiate in a process termed decidualization in order for a successful …

COUP-TFII is an orphan nuclear receptor of the nuclear receptor superfamily. COUP-TFII is highly expressed in the uterine stroma and its expression is controlled by progesterone-Ihh-Ptch signaling from the epithelium to the stroma. Mutants …

CONTEXT: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrinopathy of reproductive-aged women, is characterized by ovulatory dysfunction and hyperandrogenism. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to compare gene expression between endometrial samp…