Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Endometriosis, defined as the ectopic growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity, is an inflammatory and hormone-dependent disease that causes excruciating pelvic pain, infertility, and significantly decreases quality of lif…

Estrogens influence many aspects of human physiology and health, including fertility, growth, metabolic function, and susceptibility to disease. Up to 65% of circulating estrogens are excreted into the gut via bile, but only 10-15% are elim…

The developing female reproductive tract is highly sensitive to external hormonal stimulation, which can result in infertility and gynecologic diseases. To determine the underlying mechanisms, we used a mouse model to test the direct, cell …

Scheduled surgeries elicit stress in many patients. Levels of preoperative stress, anxiety, and female gender are known risk factors for increased and prolonged postoperative pain. The mechanisms by which psychological stress increases post…

Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is a devastating condition that leaves many undergoing fertility treatment childless. The human endometrium is receptive to a blastocyst for a brief period, the window of implantation. Critical knowledge…

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) is critical for reproductive health and a key therapeutic target for endocrine disorders and hormone-responsive cancers. Using high-resolution cryoelectron microscopy, we determined the struct…

Novel technologies are required to improve endometrial cancer diagnosis and enhance the early detection of preinvasive precursors. Herein, desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) was used to differentiate mal…

Pregnancy requires a supportive uterine environment facilitated by steroid hormone-regulated differentiation of endometrial stromal fibroblasts into decidual cells and tight control of inflammation. Serum response factor (SRF) is a widely e…

Progesterone receptor (PR)-mediated progesterone (P4) signaling plays a crucial role in the establishment of uterine receptivity which is the prerequisite for successful embryo implantation in mammals. However, detailed molecular mechanisms…

The human uterus is a complex and dynamic organ whose lining grows, remodels, and regenerates every menstrual cycle or upon tissue damage. Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to profile more the 50,000 uterine cells from both the en…

The endometrium undergoes substantial remodeling in each menstrual cycle to become receptive to an implanting embryo. Abnormal endometrial receptivity is one of the major causes of embryo implantation failure and infertility. MicroRNA-124-3…

EPH receptors (EPHs), the largest family of tyrosine kinases, phosphorylate downstream substrates upon binding of ephrin cell surface-associated ligands. In a large cohort of endometriotic lesions from individuals with endometriosis, we fou…

Endometriosis negatively impacts the health-related quality of life of 190 million women worldwide. Novel advances in nonhormonal treatments for this debilitating condition are desperately needed. Macrophages play a vital role in the pathop…

Recessive alleles have been shown to directly affect both human Mendelian disease phenotypes and complex traits. Pedigree studies also suggest that consanguinity results in increased childhood mortality and adverse health phenotypes, presum…

Embryo implantation, a crucial step in human reproduction, is tightly controlled by estrogen and progesterone (P4) via estrogen receptor alpha and progesterone receptor (PGR), respectively. Here, we report that N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the…

The uterus is vital for successful reproduction in mammals, and two different types of epithelia (luminal and glandular) are essential for embryo implantation and pregnancy establishment. However, the essential cellular and molecular factor…

The centrosome is the main microtubule organizing center of the cell and is crucial for mitotic spindle assembly, chromosome segregation, and cell division. Centrosome duplication is tightly controlled, yet several pathogens, most notably o…

Organoid technology has provided unique insights into human organ development, function, and diseases. Patient-derived organoids are increasingly used for drug screening, modeling rare disorders, designing regenerative therapies, and unders…

Uterine leiomyomas (UL) are benign tumors that arise in the myometrial layer of the uterus. The standard treatment option for UL is hysterectomy, although hormonal therapies, such as selective progesterone receptor modulators, are often use…

Estrogen and progesterone specify the establishment of uterine receptivity mainly through their respective nuclear receptors, ER and PR. PR is transcriptionally induced by estrogen-ER signaling in the endometrium, but how the protein homeos…

Biological predictors of human dominance are hotly contested, with far-reaching implications for psychological sex differences and the placement of men and women in the social hierarchy. Most investigations have focused on dominance in men …

A significant unmet need for new contraceptive options for both women and men remains due to side-effect profiles, medical concerns, and the inconvenience of many currently available contraceptive products. Unfortunately, the development of…

Suboptimal uterine fluid (UF) composition can lead to pregnancy loss and likely contributes to offspring susceptibility to chronic adult-onset disorders. However, our understanding of the biochemical composition and mechanisms underpinning …