Grant: Operating Grant

Female reproductive disorders have significant medical, social and economic impacts on individuals and society. The overall goal of this research is to understand the hormonal control of human reproduction through a greater understanding of the regulation of ovarian function. Ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) are essential for normal oocyte development and steroid hormone production. The function of GCs depends not only on endocrine regulators but also on a variety of locally produced hormonal factors that exert their effects in an autocrine and/or paracrine fashion. In this next phase of research, our aim is to use our well-established human GC model to clarify the regulation of human GC function by GDF9 and BMP15, which is poorly understood in humans despite its important functional implications in a variety of animal studies. Not only will our results provide important insights into the normal and pathophysiological roles of these potent ovarian regulatory factors; but they might also lead to new ways of approaching fertility regulation, whether the objective is to develop alternative forms of contraception, treat human infertility, or develop better methods of inducing ovulation in assisted reproduction.