Implantation and placental development
 Project Leader: Dr Guiying Nie
Senior Research Officer (NHMRC), PHIMR Fellow
Honorary Lecturer (Dept of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University)
Phone: 03 9594 4380
Email: guiying.nie@princehenrys.org
Research Overview
Successful implantation of the embryo and subsequent development of the placenta are absolutely essential for establishing a pregnancy; both processes require highly coordinated interactions between the embryo and the uterus. This group focuses on uterine factors that are important in regulating embryo implantation and placentation in the human, rhesus monkey and mouse, using a range of approaches including molecular biology, biochemistry, proteomics, morpholino antisense technology and gene knockout mouse models.
Clinical significance
Assisting pregnancy (eg to improve implantation rate in IVF practices).
Preventing implantation (eg to develop female-centered contraception).
Diagnosis and treatment of infertility and disorders of human pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia.
Current Research Projects
Proprotein Convertases (PCs) and Embryo Implantation
PCs are a family of serine proteases responsible for posttranslational activation of numerous precursors for physiologically important peptides and proteins. We have identified that PC6 is essential in modulating uterine functions, especially the process of stromal cell decidualization, during embryo implantation. The current project aims to investigate the molecular mechanism of PC6 action, including identifying its proteolytic substrates, during human endometrial cell decidualization. We are also examining the importance of other PCs that are closely related to PC6 in embryo implantation.
HtrA Proteases and Placental Development
Mammalian HtrA family proteins represent a new family of serine proteases homologous to bacterial protease DegP. HtrA enzymes are believed to be involved in cell growth and differentiation, unfolded stress responses, apoptosis and aging. We recently discovered and cloned HtrA3 in the mouse and human, and identified that it is a previously unrecognized factor potentially important for placental development and function. The current project aims to characterize the biochemical properties of HtrA3, to investigate the molecular mechanism of HtrA3 action in placentation, to determine the importance of HtrA3 in placentation by establishing a knockout mouse model, and to explore potential clinical applications of HtrA3 in the diagnosis of placental insufficiency.
Function of HtrA3 in the ovary
This project is investigating the expression of HtrA3 in folliculogenesis, establishing its ovarian function, and examining its roles in ovarian cancer progression.
Potential Projects for Honours and PhD Students
HtrA3 and Placentation in the Rhesus Monkey
This project will determine the genomic structure of HtrA3 and its expression during placental development in the Rhesus monkey.
Other Factors Important for Embryo Implantation
This project will examine a recently identified uterine factor during the window of implantation in mice, human and Rhesus monkey.
Brief CV:
Dr. Nie completed a PhD in Photosynthesis from University of Essex, UK in 1991. She then undertook a post-doctoral fellowship on Photosynthesis and global warming in Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, USA between 1992-1995. Dr. Nie entered Reproductive Biology with a Rockefeller fellowship for research on embryo implantation at PHIMR in 1995. Her current research focuses on the molecular mechanism of embryo implantation and placental development, in particular the regulation of uterine genes in these important processes.
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