Di Wu

Di Wu
Di Wu

diwu@mail.utexas.edu
Ph.D. 2009 Pharmacology/Toxicology
Background:
I received my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology in 2000 and Master of Science in the same major in 2003, both from Nanjing University in China. I came to the United States in 2003 to begin my Ph.D. work in Dr. Andrea Gore’s laboratory.

Research:
My current research investigates the effects of aging on reproductive function in male rats to see whether testosterone and estradiol still play important roles in shaping masculine behavior and physiology in older adulthood. In general, I am looking at altered sex steroid hormone levels with aging along with alterations in the numbers and distribution of steroid hormone receptors. Specifically, I am looking at a negative regulation of the density of androgen receptors in response to declining testosterone and a compensatory up-regulation of the density of estrogen receptors, in the hypothalamus and POA. In addition, I am also seeking to determine whether exogenous testosterone treatment can change the alternation of hormone receptor expression in old male rats. My dissertation research will also include the effects of experience on hormones and hormone receptor expression in the brain.

Publications:

  1. Wang G, Milner TA, Speth RC, Gore AC, Wu D, Iadecola C, Pierce JP (2008) Sex differences in angiotensin signaling in bulbospinal neurons in the rat rostral ventrolateral medulla. American Journal of Physiology, Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 295: R1149-R1157.
  2. Wu D, Lin G, Gore AC (2009) Age-related changes in hypothalamic androgen receptor and estrogen receptor a in male rats. Journal of Comparative Neurology 512 (5): 688-701.

Abstracts:

  1. Gore AC, Maffucci JA, Reynolds K, Wu D, Yin W (2005) Rat models of reproductive aging (and what does the NMDA receptor have to do with menopause?). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Symposium on Rat Models & Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
  2. Wu D, Kristobak EE, Gore AC (2006) Do estrogen receptor numbers decrease in the aging male hypothalamus? Endocrine Society Abst, Boston, MA.
  3. Wagner T, Wu D, Garcia Y, Chin L, Walker DM, Steinberg RM, Gore AC (2007) The effects of gestational ethinyl estradiol exposure on reproductive development and function in adulthood. Endocrine Society Abst., Toronto, Canada.
  4. Wu D, Lin G, Gore AC (2007) Androgen receptor and estrogen receptor a cell numbers in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) of aging male rats. Endocrine Society Abst., Toronto, Canada.
  5. Yin W, Monita MM, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Maffucci JA, Gore AC (2007) GnRH neuroterminal properties in reproductive aging. Endocrine Society Abst., Toronto, Canada.
  6. Gore AC, Wu D, Yin W, Chakraborty TR (2008) Hormone receptors in the brain and relevance to reproductive aging. Experimental Biology Abst, San Diego, CA.
  7. Wu D, Gore AC (2008) Differential effects of castration and testosterone replacement on sexual behavior in young and middle-aged male rats. Endocrine Society Abst., San Francisco, CA.
  8. Yin W, Monita MM, Kim S, Wu D, Gore AC (2008) GnRH neuroterminal changes and interaction with glia in reproductive aging. Endocrine Society Abst., San Francisco, CA.