Investigating the Effects of Human Follicle Stimulating Hormone Receptor Interactions with Caveolin on Signal Transduction: A Step Towards Discovering New Forms of Contraception and Treatment Methods for Infertile Women - Jennifer Libous
Hometown: Endwell, New York
Class Year: 2008
Major: Biology Minor: Chemistry, Visual Arts
Research Advisor: Dr. Brian D. Cohen
Project Description:
The human body is regulated by a variety of hormones, which send messages throughout the body. Every hormone needs a receptor to bind to in a target cell for it to carry out its function. The follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) regulates the reproductive system and is made in the anterior pituitary gland in the brain. It travels through the bloodstream to specific cells in the ovaries where an FSH receptor lies on the cell surface. In females, the binding of FSH to FSHR in the ovaries causes ovulation. Recent studies show a protein, caveolin, to reside in these cell surfaces and interact with FSHR. By understanding this interaction, it is possible to develop new ways of controlling the message FSH sends to the ovaries when it binds to FSHR, thus leading to new forms of contraceptives with less negative side effects or methods of treating infertility.