Lab Phone: 512-471-6311
Lab Fax: 512-471-3589
Lab Locations: ARC 0.234, 0.224 and 0.226 and PHR 5.214.
andrea.gore@mail.utexas.edu
Research:
My research focuses on the effects of prenatal exposure to contraceptive hormones on hormone receptors in the brain. Hormonal oral contraceptives are among the most popular and effective forms of contraception in the US, and the large majority of formulations contain 17-α ethinyl estradiol (EE). Because of human error there is a 5% chance of unintended pregnancy during the first year of use, which can result in oral contraceptive use continuing through the first trimester. My project investigates the effects of exogenously administered EE during pregnancy on estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the brains of exposed newborn offspring. Specifically, I am looking at effects on ERα expression in the hypothalamus using immunohistochemistry.
I graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2001 with a B.S. in Biology. Following graduation, I worked as an analytical chemist until I began my graduate career at the University of Texas at Austin in June 2004. My research was funded by a one-year appointment to the Toxicology Training Grant, and I currently am supported by a three-year National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
Research:
My research focuses on the impact of a class of environmental toxicants known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on the development of brain regions that control reproduction. There are distinct morphological and functional differences between male and female central nervous systems, a phenomenon known as sexual dimorphism. These differences are predominantly regulated by steroid hormones, and are permanent, taking shape during perinatal development. The early organizational effects of hormones on the developing nervous system are critical. If they are disrupted, adult reproductive sexual behaviors and reproductive physiology are permanently compromised. The goal of my dissertation research is to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which normal developmental brain sexual differentiation is disrupted by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of persistent EDCs. In my experimental model, developing fetal rats are exposed to PCBs during brain sexual differentiation. My hypothesis is that PCBs perturb normal developmental apoptosis (programmed cell death) in brain regions that contribute to sexual differentiation of the brain in infancy, and lead to latent abnormalities in adult reproductive behavior and function. To this end, I have focused on a group of cells in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus that control reproductive function. This population of neurons synthesizes and releases a peptide called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). In order for GnRH neurons to function properly, they require regulatory inputs from other hypothalamic brain regions, and I will study one of the most sexually dimorphic regions in this regard: the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV). In a series of studies, I will evaluate the impact of PCB exposure on expression of cell survival and apoptotic factors during postnatal development, gene and protein expression of GnRH and nuclear hormone receptors, and morphology of the AVPV. In addition to cellular and molecular effects, PCBs may cause permanent changes that are manifested during the pubertal process, during which endogenous steroid hormone production increases and activates the sex-specific brain morphology and neurochemistry organized during early postnatal life. Therefore, I will also ascertain the repercussions of prenatal PCB treatment on the attainment and manifestation of adult reproductive functions. These studies will ultimately provide insight into the actions of PCBs on the reproductive axis of developing mammals at a fundamental level, and will provide important new information regarding the mechanisms by which PCBs disrupt the endocrine system.
Publications:
Dickerson SM, Walker DM, Reveron ME, Duvauchelle CL and Gore AC (2007). The Recreational Drug Ecstasy Disrupts the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Reproductive Axis in Adult Male Rats. Neuroendocrinology (accepted; in press).
Dickerson SM and Gore AC (2007). Estrogenic environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical effects on reproductive neuroendocrine function and dysfunction across the life cycle. Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. 8(2):143-59.
Sailer BL, Liles N, Dickerson S, Sumners S and Chasteen TG (2004). Organotellurium Compound Toxicity in a Promyelocytic Cell Line Compared to a Non-Tellurium Containing Organic Analog. Toxicology in Vitro. 18:475-482.
Sailer BL, Liles N, Dickerson S and Chasteen TG (2003). Cytometric Determination of Novel Organotellurium Compound Toxicity in a Promyelocytic (HL-60) Cell Line Archives of Toxicology. 77:30-36.
Sailer BL, Prow T, Dickerson S, Watson J, Liles N, Patel SJ, Van Fleet-Stalder V and Chasteen TG (1999). Bacterial Cytotoxicity and Induction of Apoptosis in Promyelocytic (Line HL-60) Cells by Novel Organotellurium Compounds. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 18(12):2926-2933.
I am a 3rd year neurobiology and psychology major at the University of Texas at Austin. I am a Resident Advisor at Jester East, a peer advisor with the Biological Sciences advising office, and I am passionately involved with Best Buddies International. I first heard about the Gore lab from a previous professor who suggested it based on my interest in neuroscience, and I have loved being a part of the group ever since joining it over a year ago. After graduation, I hope to attend medical school.
I am currently working with a Neuroscience graduate student Jackie Maffucci on a project concerning the prevalence of the expression of the NR2b subunit of the NMDA
receptor in the anteroventral paraventricular nucleus (AVPV) of the hypothalamus. The NMDA receptor is a part of the neuronal circuitry that controls reproductive functions, and the NR2b subunit of this receptor appears to be particularly important in this role. We are quantifying the expression of the NR2b subunit protein and determining its regulation by both the age of the animals as well as hormone replacement therapies. This research will provide insight into both the role of the brain in reproductive aging, as well as how the brain is able to respond to hormones, such as estrogens, during this aging process. My contribution to the project lies in the labeling of the NR2b protein in the hypothalamic AVPV tissue (immunohistochemistry) and in the quantification of individual neurons in the hypothalamus that are expressing this particular protein (stereology).
I am a Neurobiology major, and I will be graduating in May 2008. I was part of the Short Term Research Training for Undergraduate Minority Students in the summer of 2005, and was invited to continue working in the lab Fall 2005. After commuting from Edinburg to Austin every other weekend I transferred to UT in the Spring of 2006 and have been a part of the lab since then. I am currently a member of Voices for Choice, and enjoy kickboxing and self-defense
I am currently applying to pharmacy school and hope to attend in the Fall.
Research:
I first started working with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) GT1-7 cell line in in vitro experiments. At that time, I worked on optimizing the growing conditions for the GT1-7 cell line and then exposed the cells to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and noted their effects on the release of GnRH, cell morphology, and cell population with fluorescence microscope. Since then, I have also been trained on microsurgery, immunohistochemistry, brain sectioning, and new undergraduate training.
I am a third year, pre-med student. I love studying science but also have an interest in medical-ethics. Thus, I am in the Bridging Disciplines Program to get a certificate in Ethics and Leadership, concentrating in Ethics of Health care. Currently, I serve as the president of Women in Science. I am also active in Hunger in North Korea, Nutritional Peer Educator Program, Acts college fellowship, and the FIG program. Off campus, I teach Sunday school at my church. I love playing with kids! In the future, I want to practice medicine and research as well.
Research:
I am researching on how the female brain changes with aging. More specifically, my project is studying how a group of cells called glial cells, which provide structural and nutritional support to neurons, may change with aging. I am focusing on the neurons in the brain that secrete the GnRH peptide from terminals at the base of the brain, and how their inter-relationships with glial cells undergo age-related alterations. I am using the method of immunocytochemistry for GnRH, and analyzing their expression using the confocal microscope. My project will contribute to an understanding of how the neuroendocrine GnRH terminals, and their interactions with glial cells, change with age.
Jacqueline Maffucci graduated from Cornell University in 2000 with a B.S. in Animal Science. During her undergraduate career, she spent a semester abroad at the University of Melbourne studying the flora and fauna of Australia, where she was introduced to the wonderful world of fieldwork. Upon returning to the States, she was fortunate enough to work in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Adkins-Regan examining the neural basis of maternal behavior in Japanese quail. It was this experience that turned her focus from a career in veterinary medicine to scientific research.
After graduating, she spent two years as a research technician in the laboratory of Dr. Monica Justice in the Molecular and Human Genetics Department at Baylor College of Medicine. During this time, she also tutored high school students in a variety of natural science courses, volunteered at the Houston Zoo as a K-12 natural science educator, and worked as a marine life rehabilitator with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. She began her graduate career at The University of Texas at Austin in August 2002 and was awarded an Institute for Neuroscience Graduate Student Fellowship.
During her tenure at UT Austin, she has been active in the Neuroscience Graduate Student Association (NGSA), has served and headed the committee to organize the annual INS Neuroscience Symposium, and has been being heavily involved in organizing the INS student recruitment. She has also volunteered as a Women in Natural Sciences mentor. She is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, Society for Endocrinology, Women in Endocrinology, and the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. She has also received a number of awards in recognition of her research, including a Glen/American Federation for Aging Research Grant, an American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award, the David Bruton Fellowship, and a Butch DuBois/Brand Source National Scholarship.
Outside of the lab, she is an avid animal lover and continues to foster her interest in animal behavior. She volunteers her time at the Austin Humane Society(www.austinhumanesociety.org), assists in finding foster and permanent homes for South Central Bloodhound Rescue (http://southcentralbloodhounds.org/), is a trained United Animal Nations Emergency Response Volunteer, and has recently become involved in trialing her dog in agility competitions.
Research:
My research examines the neuroendocrine mechanisms influencing the onset of reproductive senescence in female rats. Although rats do not have menstrual cycles and do not undergo menopause, they have a reproductive aging process characterized by a loss of reproductive cycles at middle age. Additionally, the reproductive system is controlled by a neural network, of which many components experience age-related changes. The rat provides an excellent model for studying how these changes affect the onset of reproductive aging. Specifically, my research focuses on the action of NMDA receptors on the reproductive axis. I study how changes in NMDAR subunit composition over time may influence alterations in reproductive function of aging female rats and the contribution of estrogen to these actions. Through administration of an NMDAR selective antagonist, I have documented changing reproductive hormone status and gene transcription of GnRH in young and middle-aged female rats. My techniques include tracking changes in luteinizing hormone pulses through serial blood drawing, and quantifying GnRH mRNA expression using real-time PCR. Currently I am taking this model in vitro to examine how this drug affects GnRH release. Additionally, I am examining the NR1 and NR2b subunit population in specific nuclei of hypothalamus and their potential change with age and steroid hormone treatment.
Currently, the mechanisms by which reproductive failure occurs, and the relative role of each level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, remain largely unknown. While the reproductive system is very complicated and involves a large number of processes, my goal is to obtain clearer understanding of the contributions of a receptor that appears to play an important role in the onset of reproductive senescence.
Publications:
Manuscripts:
Maffucci JA, Walker DM, Ikegami A, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2007) The NMDA receptor subunit NR2b affects LH release and GnRH gene expression in female rats, with modulation by estradiol. Neuroendocrinology, (Epub ahead of print)
Maffucci JA, Gore AC (2006) Age-related changes in hormones and their receptors in animal models of female reproductive senescence. In: Handbook of Models for the Study of Human Aging. ed. PM Conn, Academic Press/Elsevier, 533-552.
Articles:
Maffucci, JA. (Dec. 2007) Menopause: What every woman (and man) should know. Nside MD San Antonio. http://www.nsidesa.com/medical/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=127&Itemid=115
Abstracts:
Yin W, Monita MM, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Maffucci JA, Gore AC (2007) GnRH
neuroterminal properties in reproductive aging. Endocrine Society Abstract, Toronto, Canada.
Maffucci JA, Walker DM, Makos B, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2006) Neural regulation of reproductive aging in female rats: The role of the NMDA receptor. American Federation of Aging Research Grantee’s Conference, Santa Barbara, CA.
Maffucci JA, Walker DM, Makos B, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2006) The NMDA receptor subunit NR2b affects GnRH gene expression and LH release in female rats, with modulation by estrogen, but not aging. Endocrine Society, Boston, MA.
Gore AC, Maffucci JA, Reynolds K, Wu D, Yin W (2005) Rat models of reproductive aging (and what does the NMDA receptor have to do with menopause?). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Symposium on Rat Models & Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
Walker DM, LaPlant Q, Maffucci JA, Gore AC (2005) Hypothalamic GnRH gene expression profile in developing male rats, assayed by two quantitative methods. Endocrine Society, San Diego, CA..
Gore AC, Feduccia A, Choudhury L, Yin W, Steinberg RM, Maffucci JA, Hughes SH (2004) Blockade of the nocturnal increase in GnRH release delays the onset of puberty in female rats. Endocrine Society, New Orleans, LA.
Hillsman KD, Hughes SM, Maffucci J, Gore AC (2004) Circadian regulation of the timing of puberty in rats. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.
Maffucci JA, Ikegami A, Hillsman KD, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2004) NR2b selective antagonists of the NMDA receptor decrease luteinizing hormone levels in young and middle-aged rats. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.
I am a fourth year chemistry major. My interests in research led me to join Dr. Gore’s laboratory. After I graduate, my plan is to attend pharmacy school.
In my spare time I like to work out, play basketball, and listen to music.
Research:
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic organic compounds that were used
in coolants and capacitors until the 1970’s. Exposure to PCBs during
development, especially embryogenesis, can result in profound neurological and
reproductive deficits. Many of the mechanisms for these deficits are not well
understood. My research aims to better understand the cellular and molecular
mechanisms underlying the PCB-induced alterations in normal sexual
differentiation. As an undergraduate research assistant, I work with a Pharm-Tox graduate student, Sarah
Dickerson to test the hypothesis the prenatal exposure to PCBs has sexually
dimorphic effects on the developing hypothalamus of male and female rats.
The research techniques I utilize in this study include immunohistochemistry and
microscopic analyses of the expression of ER alpha receptors in rat brains.
Publications
Noel, M., Ramsey, M, Crews, D. and Breuner, C. 2004. Cloning and characterization of Corticosteroid Binding Globulin (CBG) in an avian species, Passer domesticus. Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology, January 04 -08, 2005, San Diego, CA, USA
Noel, Megan L. 2006. The effect of stress on steroidogenic gene transcription in the Atlantic stingray brain. Thesis, The University of Texas at Austin. Supervisor: B. Scott Nunez
Noel, M.L., and Nunez, B.S. 2006. Steroidogenic capacity of the Atlantic stingray (Dasyatis sabina) brain. Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology, January 03 -07, 2007, Phoeniz AZ, USA
I am currently a fourth year biochemistry/pre-medical student. I began working in Dr. Gore’s laboratory in fall 2006 as a work-study student, but as of summer 2007 I have been working on my own independent research project. I have also authored abstracts that will be presented at the 2008 Endocrinology Society Meeting detailing the results of my study. My research is being supported by an Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
Research:
The control of the onset of puberty is regulated by the activation of hypothalamic GnRH neurons. In rats, gonadal steroid hormone feedback regulation of GnRH cells is dramatically increased during the pubertal process. In order to ascertain whether this increased sensitivity to hormones is due to changes in expression of their nuclear receptors, I, under the supervision of Deena Walker, (a Neuroscience graduate student in the Gore lab) have utilized real-time PCR to determine the postnatal developmental changes in progesterone receptor (PR), androgen receptor (AR), and the estrogen receptors (ERa and ERb) expression during development in the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) and preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH). In addition, the gene expression profiles of male and female rats are being compared in order to investigate potential sex differences in the neural changes responsible for the onset of puberty.
Published Abstracts
I am currently working on my PharmD degree at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. I am originally from Rockwall, Texas. In my spare time I like to read, relax and enjoy life. I am looking forward to doing rotations in a clinical pharmacy setting, where I hope to learn more about oncology, neonatology, and how pharmacists affect clinical outcomes.
Research:
My Honors Project consists of documenting the expression of membrane ER-alpha receptors on the median eminence of the rat brain. Currently I am working with enzymatic DAB immunochemistry in order to test and optimize 3 different antibodies specific to this receptor. In the future, I hope to determine if membrane ER-alpha receptors are co-localized with GnRH receptors on the median eminence of the rat brain.
I graduated from UT in 2002 with a B.S. in biology. As an undergraduate, I worked under Dr. Tom Mabry studying the estrogenic nature of compounds extracted from several plant species native to central Texas. Following this, I began research in the lab of Dr. Su Dharmawardhane and was given an independent project determining the role of TGF-Beta in breast cancer metastasis. In addition to my work in research laboratories, I worked with Dr. Delia Brownson, supervising the preparations for the upper and lower-division molecular biology lab courses at UT-Austin.
After graduation, I was hired as a technician in Dr. Cheryl Walker's laboratory at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Research Division in Smithville, TX. While there, I studied the effects of diethylstilbesterol (DES) on the development of uterine leiomyomas in rats. The research I conducted in Dr. Walker's lab was instrumental in establishing an interest in endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their effects on the developing fetus.
I worked for two years as a technician in Dr. Gore's laboratory prior to graduate school. While there, I served as the molecular biology specialist for the lab. I established a real-time PCR protocol and developed assays to substitute for our RNase Protection Assay (RPA) protocols, such as assays measuring the primary transcript for GnRH. I was involved in a number of molecular based projects, but was interested in those projects concerning EDCs and development in rats. I completed my own project which sought to elucidate the role of GnRH gene expression in pubertal development in male rats using real-time PCR.
Research:
I started graduate school in 2006. Since being in graduate school, I have expanded my interest in the molecular mechanisms underlying the onset of puberty in rats by studying gene expression changes in sex steroid hormone receptors in the developing preoptic area. Along with Lorenzo Perez, an undergraduate in our lab, I have also begun work identifying sex differences in gene expression in both the preoptic area and the medial basal hypothalamus. We are also interested to determine if the changes in gene expression that we have observed are associated with changes in serum hormone concentrations. Finally, I would like to determine if developmental exposure to EDCs can alter the gene expression profiles in both male and female rats. Together, I hope these studies will help to identify basic molecular mechanisms required for the onset of puberty in mammals.
Publications:
Steinberg RM, Walker DM, Juenger TE, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2008) The effects of prenatal PCBs on adult female reproduction. I. Development, reproductive physiology, and transgenerational effects, Biology of Reproduction, In Press.
Dickerson SM, Walker DM, Reveron ME, Duvauchelle CL, Gore AC (2008) The recreational drug ecstasy disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal reproductive axis in adult male rats. Neuroendocrinology, In Press.
Maffucci JA, Walker DM, Ikegami A, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2008) The NMDA receptor subunit NR2b: Effects on LH release and GnRH gene expression in young and middle-aged rats, with modulation by estradiol, Neuroendocrinology, In Press (Epub ahead of print).
Walker DM, Gore AC (2006) Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and the brain. In: Gore AC (ed), Handbook of Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals, Humana Press, pp 63 – 109.
I received my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology in 2000 and Master of Science in the same major in 2003, both from Nanjing University in China. I came to the United States in 2003 to begin my Ph.D. work in Dr. Andrea Gore's laboratory.
Research:
My current research investigates the effects of aging on reproductive function in male rats to see whether testosterone and estradiol still play important roles in shaping masculine behavior and physiology in older adulthood. In general, I am looking at altered sex steroid hormone levels with aging along with alterations in the numbers and distribution of steroid hormone receptors. Specifically, I am looking at a negative regulation of the density of androgen receptors in response to declining testosterone and a compensatory up-regulation of the density of estrogen receptors, in the hypothalamus and POA. In addition, I am also seeking to determine whether exogenous testosterone treatment can change the alternation of hormone receptor expression in old male rats. My dissertation research will also include the effects of experience on hormones and hormone receptor expression in the brain.
My research concerns "the brain control of reproductive aging", the goal of which is to reveal the critical interactions between the female reproductive system and the central nervous system.
At the base of our brain, in a small, enigmatic, and powerful place called the median eminence, many “brain messengers” dock and depart, including our reproductive messenger - the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Changes at this messenger "harbor” may also affect our reproductive system, and sometimes elicit a large response from the body with dramatic, seemingly unpredictable physical changes. My research is to observe changes to GnRH nerve terminals and their surrounding microenvironment in normal and abnormal physical conditions in rats. Using immuno-fluorescence microscopy and post-embedding immuno-gold electron microscopy on rats of different ages and estradiol treatment, I have found ultrastructural evidence of changes in GnRH nerve terminals, their surrounding glial cells and the nearby capillary system.
My goal is to understand the natural processes of the interaction of the brain with reproduction during aging. We do undergo inevitable changes both large and small as we age, but as our understanding of these processes grows, so does our ability to predict and manage them.
Education & Professional Experience:
8/2003 – Present (2/2008): Ph.D. education, University of Texas at Austin, Div. Pharmacology & Toxicology
1/2003 – 8/2003: Research Associate. Supervisor: Dr. Andrea C. Gore. University of Texas at Austin, Div. Pharmacology & Toxicology. Conducted NIH supported studies on reproductive aging.
5/2001 – 1/2003: Research Coordinator. Supervisor: Dr. Andrea C. Gore. Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology. Worked on NIH supported research entitled “Estrogen and the aging brain.”
8/2000 – 5/2001: Research Coordinator. Supervisor: Dr. Mary S. Wolff. Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, Dept. Community & Preventive Medicine. Investigated the effects of environmental toxicants on development in infants, children and their mothers in East Harlem, New York City.
8/1998 – 8/2000: Resident Physician. Supervisor: Dr. Zheping Gao. China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing. Participated in medical treatments and clinical research.
8/1992 – 8/1998: M.D., Jinan University School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Publications:
Papers
Yildirim M, Mapp OM, Janssen WG, Yin W, Morrison JH, Gore AC. Postpubertal decrease in hippocampal dendritic spines of female rats. Experimental Neurology. (Nov 2007)
Yin W, Mendenhall JM, Bratton SB, Oung T, Janssen WG, Morrison JH, Gore AC. Novel localization of NMDA receptors within neuroendocrine gonadotropin-releasing hormone terminals. Experimental Biology and Medicine 232: 662-673 (May 2007).
Yin W, Gore AC. Neuroendocrine control of reproductive aging: Roles of GnRH neurons. Reproduction 131: 403-414 (Mar 2006).
Yin W, Gao Z, Meng L. Survey on antibiotic in China-Japan friendship hospital from 1996 to 1999. Drug information of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Vol. 16 No. 1, (2000).
Abstracts and Proceedings in National and International Meetings
Yin W, Monita MM, Kim S, Wu D, Gore AC. GnRH neuroterminal changes and interaction with glia in reproductive aging. The 90th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, San Francisco, Jun 2008.
Yin W, Monita MM, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Maffucci JA, Gore AC. GnRH neuroterminal properties in reproductive aging. The 89th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Toronto, Canada, Jun 2007.
Yin W, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Maffucci JA, Monita MM, Gore AC. GnRH release in reproductive aging. The University of Texas College of Pharmacy Celebrating Research Achievements, Austin, TX, Apr 2007.
Yin W, Mendenhall JM, Wu D, Reynolds KK, Gore AC. Three dimensional (3D) reconstruction of GnRH neuroterminals in the rat median eminence. The 88th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Boston, MA, Jun 2006.
Hughes SM, Yin W, Gore AC. The GnRH antagonist acyline delays puberty and suppresses the reproductive axis of male, but not female rats. The 88th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Boston, MA, Jun 2006.
Reynolds KK, Wu D, Yin W, Gore AC. Anatomical relationships between NMDA receptor subunits and GnRH neuroterminals. The 88th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Boston, MA, Jun 2006.
Gore AC, Maffucci JA, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Yin W. Rat models of reproductive aging (and what does the NMDA receptor have to do with menopause?). The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Symposium on Rat Models & Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, Dec. 2005.
Gore AC, Feduccia A, Choudhury L, Yin W, Steinberg RM, Maffucci JA, Hughes S. Blockade of the nocturnal increase in GnRH release delays the onset of puberty in female rats. The 86th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, New Orleans, LA, Jun 2004.
Yin W, Oung T, Ng CL, Janssen WGM, Morrison JH, Gore AC. Novel subcellular localization of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) within neuroendocrine GnRH terminals, The 32nd annual meeting of Neuroscience Society, Orlando, FL, Nov 2002.
Yin W, Gao Z. Investigation of disinfectant effect of electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) on gastroscope used for hepatitis patients, The 1st International Congress of Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control (APSIC), Hongkong, China, Aug 1999.
Research: Working as a research assistant, my project is optimizing conditions for enzymatic DAB and fluorescent immunocytochemistry of rodent brain hormone receptors, specifically GnRH, estrogen receptor beta, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor. I am following up by performing microscopic analyses of the expression of these molecules in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain controlling reproductive function. My immunocytochemistry experiments contribute to an understanding of the distribution of the hormone receptors, ER beta and AhR, their expression in the rat brain, and their regulation by endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Also, I am photodocumenting ER alpha and ER beta expression in the rat and mouse brain with a purpose of creating comprehensive rodent atlases.
Research: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are the principal regulators of vertebrate reproductive function. During embryonic development, these neurons migrate from outside the nervous system into the hypothalamus and preoptic area of the brain. The post-migratory GnRH cell population decreases by about 50% to a number that is maintained throughout the life cycle. The mechanisms for GnRH neuronal migration and cell loss are not well understood. The aim of this study is:
Research: As a research assistant, I am currently learning real-time PCR methods and analysis as a tool for measuring GnRH mRNA levels during the sexual development in male rats. Our long-term goal is to fully optimize this technique as we hope to make the transition from RNase protection assays to RT-PCR and show that RT-PCR is an efficient, reliable and accurate way of quantitatively measuring gene expression in neuroendocrine systems.
Research: For the summer 2004 I received an Endocrine Society fellowship, which has provided me a stipend and allows me to perform research full time. My summer project is studying circadian rhythms of reproduction. For my experiment, I am lesioning the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the "pacemaker" of the brain, and exploring how these lesions affect the timing of puberty in rats. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles of biological activity. For instance, body temperature, activity, and hormone secretions fluctuate throughout the day with a 24-hour rhythmic cycle. Therefore by lesioning the SCN I plan to disrupt any daily reproductive cyclicity and presumably alter the timing of puberty. This experiment has been a little more challenging than perceived because the lesions must be performed in pre-pubertal rats and the surgeries are much more difficult than in adult rats. As a follow-up project, I plan to monitor the progression of puberty in rats placed in constant light or in constant dark. These animals are raised in the absence of any external clock cues, and I predict that puberty will be delayed or entirely absent in these animals. In the future I would like to study puberty and circadian rhythms in primates since they are closely related to humans.
Research: I work with Jackie Maffucci who is researching the action of NMDA receptors (NMDAR) on GnRH neurons in young and aging female rats. I was fortunate enough to start in the lab at the beginning of Jackie's NMDAR selective antagonist segment of her research. Over the summer, I provided technical assistance with the rats doing implant surgeries and interval blood drawing. This fall I am analyzing the 120+ brain tissue samples for RNA content and plan to follow the progression of the study with Jackie next semester.
Research: My research will focus on how NMDA receptors interact with gonadal hormones during aging in females, and the consequences of these interactions on the GnRH neurons that control reproductive functions. This study will draw comparisons between female rats and female rhesus monkeys. The results of our research will further knowledge needed to improve hormone replacement therapies in women. In addition, my goal is to assist the group in their immunocytochemistry, TUNEL labeling and histology needs.
rmsteinberg@mail.utexas.edu
Ph.D. 2007
Background:
I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2000 with degrees in Neurobiology
and Ecology and Evolution. On coming to the Institute for Neuroscience at the
University of Texas, I was awarded a University of Texas Preemptive Fellowship.
I completed the Neural Systems and Behavior Course at Woods Hole,
Massachussetts
in 2002. I currently serve as president of the Neuroscience Graduate Students'
Association, and as an organizer of the Annual Neuroscience
Symposium. My research
is funded by a two-year predoctoral grant offered by PhRMA, the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers' of America Foundation.
Research: My PhD dissertation investigates the long-term and multigenerational effects of prenatal exposure to a class of environmental toxicant known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Specifically, I am looking at altered gene transcription and protein expression within GnRH neurons of the mammalian hypothalamus, through the use of real time PCR and immunocytochemistry. In addition, I am investigating the sexual behavior and fertility of PCB-exposed animals, and the viability of the subsequent generation. My goal is to achieve a global picture of how hypothalamic GnRH neurons may be altered by endocrine disruptors, such as PCBs, at a sensitive period in development, and how these effects may alter adult behavior and physiology and possibly the second generation offspring.
Please see also:
Gore Home Page (Research Interests)
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August 12, 2008 Faculty Directory College of Pharmacy at UT Austin Comments to: pharmacy@www.utexas.edu |
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