The endometrium of the upper female reproductive tract is a unique, hormone-responsive tissue that must tackle the dual challenges of preventing infection by pathogenic microbes while establishing a tolerogenic environment for pregnancy. We study the role of both factors in mucosal secretions (e.g., seminal plasma) and various cell types resident in the endometrium, on endometrial cell function. We are focused in particular on the properties and functions of endometrial lymphocytes in reproductive health and infertility. We are also interrogating the role of seminal plasma factors on sexually transmitted viruses and sperm physiology.
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- LoRicco J.G., Xu C.S., Neidleman J., Bergkvist M., Greene W.C., Roan N.R.*, Makhatadze G.I.* Gallic acid is an antagonist of semen amyloid fibrils that enhance HIV-1 infection. *Co-corresponding authors. 2016. J Biol Chem
- Roan N.R., Sandi-Monroy N., Kohgadai N., Usmani S.M., Hamil K.G., Neidleman J., Montano M., Standker L., Rocker A., Cavrois M., Rosen J., Marson K., Smith J.F., Pilcher C.D., Gagsteiger F., Sakk O., O’Rand M., Lishko P.V., Kirchhoff F., Münch J., Greene W.C. Semen amyloids participate in human spermatozoa selection and clearance. 2017. Elife
- Müller J.A., Harms M., Krüger F., Groß R., Joas S., Hayn M., Dietz A.N., Lippold S., von Einem J., Schubert A., Michel M., Mayer B., Cortese M., Jang K.S., Sandi-Monroy N., Deniz M., Ebner F., Vapalahti O., Otto M., Bartenschlager R., Herbeuval JP, Schmidt-Chanasit J., Roan N.R., Münch J. Semen inhibits Zika virus infection of cells and tissues from the anogenital region. 2018. Nature Communications