The mid-cycle surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) induces ovulation, a process during which a fertilizable oocyte is released from a mature ovarian follicle. Although ovulation is a physiologically well-characterized event, the underlying molecular pathways remain poorly understood. Progesterone receptor (PGR), which mediates the biological effects of the steroid hormone progesterone, has emerged...

σ-Receptors are integral membrane proteins that have been implicated in a number of biological functions, many of which involve the modulation of ion channels. A wide range of synthetic ligands activate σ-receptors, but endogenous σ-receptor ligands have proven elusive. One endogenous ligand, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), has been shown to act as a σ-receptor agonist. Progesterone and other steroid...

Background: The female breast is subjected to a lifetime of hormonal controls, whose effect is evident at the time of menarche and during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and lactation. Studies have reported multiple risk factors for breast cancer, some of which are a reflection of hormonally mediated events. The steroid receptors are also served as prognostic factors for evaluating status of mal...

HOX genes are essential regulators of development in all multicellular organisms, including humans. We have previously shown that HOXA10 is expressed in the developing uterus and later in the adult human endometrium. HOX genes regulate endometrial development in response to sex steroids. Here, we demonstrate that HOXA10 is expressed in the myometrium as well. In situ hybridization reveals abund...

Around the time of birth, male rats express higher levels of progesterone receptors in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) than female rats, suggesting that the MPN may be differentially sensitive to maternal hormones in developing males and females. Preliminary evidence suggests that this sex difference depends on the activation of estrogen receptors around birth. To test whether estrogen recept...

We have isolated cosmid clones containing the chromosomal chicken progesterone receptor gene. The gene consists of eight exons and is approximately 38 kilobases long. Individual exons correlate well with conserved functional domains of the receptor molecule. Alternative polyadenylylation in the second intron results in a putative non-hormone-binding protein. The cap site of the gene is heteroge...

PURPOSE The purpose of this research was to determine whether estrogen receptor alpha specifically phosphorylated at Ser(118) is associated with clinical outcome in primary breast tumors from estrogen receptor-positive and node-negative breast cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Estrogen receptor alpha specifically phosphorylated at Ser(118) was determined by immunohistochemistry in 117 prim...