Faculty

T. Rajendra Kumar, PhD
Assistant Professor Molecular & Integrative Physiology

Research Description

Our laboratory studies development and regulation of the reproductive axis using both gain-of-function (transgenic) and loss-of-function (gene knockout) approaches. These unique genetic models mimic many of the human diseases and thus enable us to experimentally tract them both in time and space. Specific projects include unraveling signaling pathways in the hypothalamic medial preoptic area that contribute to male sexual behavior, understanding human pituitary null cell adenoma, mechanisms of secretion of pituitary gonadotropins, and delineating mechanisms of gonadotropin regulation of testis and ovarian development and function. These studies are clinically relevant and have significant impact in understanding the physiology and pathology of the mammalian reproductive axis including abnormal reproductive tract development, infertility, and cancer of the pituitary and gonads.

Representative Publications

Garcia-Campayo, V, I Boime,M Xiaoping, DD Iken and TR Kumar. (2004) A tetradomain single chain glycoprotein analog elicits multiple hormone activities in vivo. Biology of Reproduction, 72: 301-308.

Ma, X, Dong YL, Matzuk MM and TR Kumar. (2004) Targeted mutagenesis of LHb leads to hypogonadism, defects in steroidogenesis and infertility Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (USA) 101: 17294-17299.

Ma, X, A Reyna, SK Mani, MM Matzuk and TR Kumar. (2005) Impaired male sexual behavior in activin receptor II knockout mice. Biology of Reproduction 73:1182-1190.

Kumar, TR. (2005) What have we learned about gonadotropin function from gonadotropin subunit and receptor knockout mice? Reproduction 130: 293-302.

Kumar TR, KG Schuff, KD Nusser and MJ Low. (2006) Gonadotroph-specific expression of the human follicle-stimulating hormone b gene in transgenic mice. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 247:103-115.

Funding

NICHD (NIH), Diagnostic Systems Labs, TX.

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