# REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES--BIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR ACTIONS

> **NIH NIH R01** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 1994 · $300,292

## Abstract

The sex steroid hormones (estrogen and progesterone) stimulate growth,
maturation and the development of new biochemical capacities in their
reproductive target organs.  These steroids play a major role in maternal
physiology and fetal differentiation and their relationships to normal or
oncogenic function of reproductive tissues are well established.
Although steroid hormones exert major influences on the synthesis of
nucleic acid and protein, the biochemical processes by which sex hormones
regulate growth and function in target tissues are not yet defined in
precise detail.

The general objectives of our studies are to define the mechanism of
action of reproductive steroid hormones and their receptors in regulating
morphologic differentiation and biochemical specialization in target
tissues.  This will be accomplished by coordinating a network of
investigations designed to uncover the mechanism by which steroid
receptors interact with nuclear regulatory proteins (coactivators,
adaptors, general transcription factors, chromatin modifiers, etc.) to
effect regulation of target genes.  We will emphasize experimental
dissection of the protein-protein interactions which occur at the
multiple ciselements inherent to eucaryotic genes.  To understand steroid
hormone action, we must understand the positive and negative regulation
of receptor functional domains in context with the myriad of nuclear
transcription factors to which they bind and through which they control
transcription.  Our studies will utilize the human progesterone receptor,
but to establish regulatory concepts, we will carry out experiments using
human estrogen, thyroid hormone, retinoic acid and orphan receptors.
Cell-free binding and transcription approaches, technologies developed
over the past 5 year period of this grant, will be a cornerstone of our
methodology; all new concepts will be tested finally in the milieu of the
intact cell.  These studies will involve aspects of nucleic acid and
protein biochemistry, protein purification, cell biology and molecular
endocrinology.

It is expected that the understanding derived from this project will be
relevant to the biology of the natural reproductive hormones relative to
maternal physiology, fetal development and the design of new
contraceptive agents.  The following proposed studies should also be
pertinent to development of more precise theories for the biochemical
mechanism of action of intracellular hormones and receptors in general.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2196565
- **Project number:** 5R01HD008188-23
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **SAM.gov UEI:** FXKMA43NTV21
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL B MC KEOWN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $300,292
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1974-09-01 → 1998-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2196565

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2196565, REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES--BIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR ACTIONS (5R01HD008188-23). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2196565. Licensed CC0.

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