Hormone regulaton of reproductive functions
Professor Ilpo Huhtaniemi
The main purpose of our research is to understand better how hormones regulate the functions of ovary and testis in healthy individuals and when they suffer from infertility, occurring for instance in the form disturbances in menstrual cycle and inability to conceive in women and as disturbed sperm production or impotence in men.
Hormonal disturbances are also the common cause for lack of normal sexual differentiation in fetal life and delayed or absent sexual maturation at puberty. Many of these disturbances are due to mutations of key genes encodin reproductive hormones and molecules mediating their actions (so-called receptors). An effective strategy to understand better these disturbances is the use of genetically modified mice carrying similar gene mutations as occur in humans.
The two hormones that are central in our research interests are the two pituitary gonadotrophic hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH) and the gonadal mediators of their action. Normal function of these two hormones is essential for male and female fertility. On one hand we are exploring the molecular mechanisms that are involved in normal secretion and action of these hormones, on the other hand we study the disturbances that are brought about by mutations in the genes determining their formation and actions in the body.
The results obtained will improve the diagnostics and provide new treatment strategies for disturbances in sexual differentiation and maturation in fetal life and in children, during pubertal maturation and in adult life. The studies also provide new information about the role of sex hormones in ageing, in hormone-dependent cancer (e.g. breast, ovarian and prostatic cancer), and the new information can be applied to the development of new birth control methods for men and women. Finally, our studies address the functions of hormonally active compounds in the environment (so-called endocrine disrupters) and their impact on health.