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e-mail- d.armant@wayne.edu
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Education:
B.S., Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1974
Ph.D., Zoology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1980
Training:
1980-1982 Cell Biology Group, Worcester Foundation for Experimental
Biology, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
1982-1983 Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
1983-1985 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, M.D.
Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston, Texas
Professional and Faculty Appointments:
1985, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology, University of Texas System Cancer Center,
Houston.
1985-1988, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology &
Reproductive Biology (Physiology), Harvard Medical School, Boston,
Massachusetts.
1985-1988, Adjunct Member, Laboratory of Human Reproduction and
Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
1988-1997, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne
State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
1989-1997, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne
State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
1990-present, Regular Member, Graduate Faculty, Wayne State University
School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
1992-present, Member, Fetal Alcohol Research Center, Wayne State
University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
1992-present, Member, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit,
Michigan
1993-present, Member, Institute for Chemical Toxicology, Wayne
State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
1994, Tenure, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit,
Michigan.
1997-present, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State
University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
1997-present, Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State
University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
2007- Head, Section on Peri-Implantation Development, and Adjunct Scientist,
Reproductive Biology & Medicine Branch, Intramural Research Division, National
Institute for Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD.
Major Research Interests:
The molecular interactions between extracellular matricies and integrins, as well as
growth factors and their receptors, leading to activation of downstream signaling pathways
in relationship to trophoblast biology during blastocyst implantation and subsequent placentation.
Current Research:
We are investigating the adhesive interactions that mediate blastocyst adhesion to the uterine
wall during implantation and placentation. Trophoblast cells of the blastocyst express integrins
that serve as receptors for components of the endometrial basement membrane and underlying
extracellular matrix (ECM). Blastocyst differentiation to an adhesion-competent stage is influenced
by maternal factors that include growth factors and the ECM, itself. An important current interest is in
delineating the intracellular signaling pathways that control adhesion at the apical surface of the
trophoblast through analysis of preimplantation gene expression. We have found that heparin-binding
EGF like growth factor, which plays an important role in blastocyst implantation, is deficient in placentas
of women with pre-eclampsia. Because trophoblast invasion of the endometrium and uterine arteries is
believed to contribute to the development of pre-eclampsia, we are interested in the role of this signaling
system and its influence on trophoblast adhesive interactions in the pathophysiology of this disease.
Recent papers:
| 1. | Leach, R.E., Romero, R., Kim, Y.M., Chaiworapongsa, T., Kilburn, B., Das, S.K., Dey, S.K., Johnson, A., Qureshi, F., Jacques, S. and Armant, D.R. Pre-eclampsia and expression of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor. Lancet, 360:1215-1219, 2002. Medline |
| 2. | Leach, R.E., Kilburn, B., Wang, J., Liu, Z., Romero, R. and Armant, D.R. Heparin-Binding EGF-Like Growth Factor Regulates Human Extravillous Cytotrophoblast Development During Conversion to the Invasive Phenotype. Dev. Biol., 266:223-237, 2004. Medline |
| 3. | Rout, U.K., Wang, J., Paria, B.C. and Armant, D.R. Alpha5beta1, alphaVbeta3 and the Platelet-Associated Integrin alphaIIbbeta3 Coordinately Regulate Adhesion and Migration of Mouse Peri-implantation Trophoblast Cells. Dev. Biol., 268:135-151, 2004. Medline |
| 4. | Liu, Z. and Armant, D.R.. Lysophosphatidic Acid Regulates Murine Blastocyst Development By Transactivation of Receptors for Heparin-Binding EGF-Like Growth Factor. Exp. Cell Res., 296:317-326, 2004. Medline |
| 5. | Armant, D.R. Blastocysts Don’t Go It Alone. Extrinsic Signals Fine-Tune the Intrinsic Developmental Program of Trophoblast Cells. Dev. Biol., 280:260-280, 2005. Medline |
| 6. | Armant, DR. Blastocyst Cultures. In: Placenta Methods and Protocols, Vol. I (M.J. Soares and J.S. Hunt, eds.) Methods in Molecular Medicine. Vol. 121. Humana Press, Inc., Totowa, NJ, pp. 35-56, 2006. Medline |
| 7. | Kilburn, B.A., Chiang, P.J., Wang, J., Flentke, G.R., Smith, S.M., Armant, D.R. Rapid Induction of Apoptosis in Gastrulating Mouse Embryos by Ethanol and Its Prevention By HB-EGF. Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res., 30:127-134, 2006. Medline |
| 8. | Armant, D.R., Kilburn, B.A., Petkova, A., Edwin, S.S., Duniec-Dmuchowski, Z.M., Edwards, H.J., Romero, R and Leach, R.E. Human Trophoblast Survival at Low Oxygen Concentrations Requires Metalloproteinase-Mediated Shedding of Heparin-Binding EGF-Like Growth Factor. Development. 133:751-759, 2006. Medline |
| 9. | Wolff, G.S., Chiang, P.J., Smith, S.M., Romero, R. and Armant, D.R. EGF-like growth factors prevent apoptosis of alcohol-exposed human placental cytotrophoblast cells. Biol. Reprod., 77:53-60, 2007. Medline |
| 10. | Wang, J., Mayernik, L. and Armant, D.R. Trophoblast Adhesion of the Peri-implantation Mouse Blastocyst is Regulated by Integrin Signaling That Targets Phospholipase C. Dev. Biol., 302:143-153, 2007. Medline |
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