Associate Professor

Department of Animal Sciences

Ph.D., University of Illinois

To e-mail Dr. Nowak use:

ranowak@uiuc.edu

The research in my laboratory focuses on two main areas. The first is implantation. Our laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanisms involved in the regulation of trophoblast cell differentiation and invasion into the uterine stroma during the implantation process. We are focusing on the role of two proteins, parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and EMMPRIN, in regulating extracellular matrix production and metalloproteinase activity in the implantation site. PTHrP has been shown to regulate matrix production and stimulate angiogenesis in bone. We have found that PTHrP is expressed not only by specific uterine cells at the time of implantation but also by the differentiating blastocyst. EMMPRIN is a membrane bound protein that stimulates metalloproteinase (MMP) production by surrounding cells and also acts as a binding protein for specific MMPs. Transgenic knockout mice are being used to study the roles of these proteins around the time of implantation.

The second area of emphasis in my laboratory is women’s reproductive diseases including uterine leiomyomas and endometriosis. Basic studies are underway to understand the mechanisms involved in regulating the growth of leiomyoma smooth muscle cells and applied studies testing the effects of a variety of compounds on proliferation and extra-cellular matrix production of these tumor cells are also being carried out. Studies on endometriosis involve not only human cell lines but also tissues from a baboon model for endometriosis established by fellow researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Our focus is to understand how the invasiveness of uterine endometrial cells is regulated by ovarian steroid hormones as well as by certain proteins including cytokines and growth factors. We are particularly interested in understanding the interplay between uterine epithelial and stromal cells that leads to the attachment and invasion of endometrial tissues into the peritoneum. We are also involved in a collaborative project with investigators at the University of Illinois in Chicago to use cDNA microchip arrays to identify genes in women’s neoplasms that are regulated by estrogen. Both leiomyomas and endometriosis are estrogen-dependent diseases. We hope to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention using microchip array analysis.