Eugene D. Albrecht, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Developmental and Perinatal Endocrinology
A multidisciplinary approach is used in this laboratory to study the developmental regulation of placental and fetal growth, maturation, and function in primates. We have been instrumental in showing that estrogen has a central integrative role in regulating several processes critical to the maintenance of pregnancy and development of physiological systems important to fetal development. For example, using the baboon as a nonhuman primate model for the study of the endocrinology of human pregnancy we have shown that estrogen regulates key aspects of functional differentiation of placental trophoblasts, a process critical to growth, development and maturation of the fetus. Thus, estrogen regulates the developmental expression of the genes for the low density lipoprotein receptor critical to cholesterol substrate uptake and P-450 steroidogenic enzymes necessary for progesterone biosynthesis in placental trophoblasts. Estrogen also regulates the 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase genes which are responsible for the ontogenetic change in transplacental corticosteroid metabolism. The latter process results in activation of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis and consequently maturation of endocrine systems required for neonatal development. Northern blot, in situ hybridization, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western immunoblot, and transfection of trophoblasts with gene constructs are used to determine the developmental expression of relevant regulatory genes. These studies are expected to provide direct information on the molecular basis of how steroid hormones, such as estrogen, and communication signals between the placenta and fetus regulate cell-specific developmental gene expression during trophoblast differentiation and fetal development. Ultimately, the research conducted in this laboratory should provide new insight into the regulation of the hormonal events critical to pregnancy maintenance and maturation and growth of the fetus.
Recent Publications
Pepe GJ, Albrecht ED 1995 Actions of placental and fetal adrenal steroid hormones in primate pregnancy. Endocrine Reviews 16:608-648.
Albrecht ED, Aberdeen GW, Babischkin JS, Tilly JL, Pepe GJ 1996 Biphasic developmental expression of ACTH receptor messenger ribonucleic acid levels in the baboon fetal adrenal gland. Endocrinology 137:1292-1298.
Babischkin JS, Pepe GJ, Albrecht ED 1997 Estrogen regulation of placental P-450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme messenger ribonucleic acid levels and activity during baboon pregnancy. Endocrinology 138:452-459.
Aberdeen GW, Babischkin JS, Pepe GJ, Albrecht ED 1997 Decline in adrenocorticotropin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid expression in the baboon fetal adrenocortical zone in the second half of pregnancy. Endocrinology 138:1634-1641.
