# CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 1994 · $640,334

## Abstract

The purpose of the Center for Research in Reproductive Physiology is to
continue to investigate, using systematic physiological and contemporary
cellular and molecular approaches, the control systems that govern major
reproductive processes in mammals, with a special emphasis on higher
primates.  The Center, which has grown and diversified over the last 5
years of support, is currently comprised of 18 research projects subserved
to varying degrees by 4 research core facilities:  Primate (Core B), Assay
(Core C), Histology (Core D) and Molecular Endocrinology (Core E).  The
Molecular Endocrinology Core, which was recently established by intramural
funds, is now formally proposed for the first time.  The research interests
of the Center are wide ranging, extending, for example, from studies of the
molecular mechanisms regulating steroid receptor action at the genomic
level to investigation of the neuroendocrine control system governing
gonadal function at the organismic level.  Because of the established
relevance to the human situation of data obtained from non-human primates,
a major emphasis of the Center's research activity is focused on the
analysis of reproductive control systems in the monkey.  In this regard,
the neuroendocrine regulation of testicular and ovarian function, the
endocrine and paracrine regulation of ovarian and testicular function, the
neurobiological basis of puberty, the impact of nutritional and metabolic
parameters on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, the neural basis of
the GnRH pulse generator, and the endocrine and neurochemical bases of
sexual behavior are being systematically studied using the rhesus and
cynomolgus monkey as experimental models.  Several clinical studies of
reproduction in men and women are also subserved by the Center.
Significant areas of endeavor utilizing non-primate paradigms include
studies of the regulation of gonadotropin subunit gene expression by
gonadal steroids and peptides, the neurobiological basis of the inhibition
of the GnRH pulse generator induced by suckling, the neuroendocrine control
of the timing of the onset of puberty, and the anatomy of the
neurocircuitry controlling hypothalamic releasing factor secretion.  The
Center is also committed to providing advanced training at the postdoctoral
level in the physiological analysis of reproduction, integrating molecular,
cellular and systems approaches.  There is every reason to believe that
this concentrated research approach to the study of reproductive
physiology, in concert with a greatly expanded training program, will
continue to have direct impact on the treatment of reproductive disorders
in man.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2196611
- **Project number:** 5P30HD008610-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **SAM.gov UEI:** MKAGLD59JRL1
- **Principal Investigator:** TONY M PLANT
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $640,334
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1979-09-29 → 1996-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2196611

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2196611, CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY (5P30HD008610-20). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2196611. Licensed CC0.

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