Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation

Research in Brief

The principal focus of the Zeleznik laboratory has been to understand the physiology and cell biology of ovarian cyclicity (follicular development and selection, luteinization and luteolysis) during the primate menstrual cycle. Over a 36 year period of continuous NIH funding, Dr Zeleznik used macaque monkeys and human subjects to investigate the in vivo response of the ovaries to standardized infusion regimens of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone with the intent of identifying the physiological mechanisms by which a single follicle is selected to mature during the menstrual cycle as well as the physiological mechanisms by which the corpus luteum regresses during the spontaneous menstrual cycle and how the corpus luteum is rescued during early pregnancy.

At the cellular and molecular levels, Dr Zeleznik’s laboratory’s interests were in identifying the cellular signaling pathways used by FSH and LH to promote granulosa cell proliferation and differentiation. To accomplish this, he used replication-defective viral vectors to express constitutively active and dominant-negative and dominant-active mutants of gonadotropin receptors, protein kinases and transcription factors in cell culture and assess steroid production and mRNA’s that encode for specialized proteins involved in granulosa cell proliferation and differentiation.

Currently, Dr Zeleznik has a part time appointment with the University of Pittsburgh and Magee-Womens Research Institute where his major role is to serve as a mentor for junior faculty members and research and clinical fellows currently in training.