Margaret E. Wierman, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics, Chief of Endocrinology, Denver VAMC
Dr. Wierman received her MD and residency training at at Baylor College of Medicine. Her fellowship and research training was at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University. She has been a faculty member at the University of Colorado since 1987 and her expertise is in reproductive and neuroendocrinology. Dr. Wierman’s research interests are in the regulation of the genes that control the reproductive axis. She studies the mechanisms by which gonadal sex steroids and peptide hormones regulate the expression of the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). The major goal of her work is to define the mechanisms by which GnRH neuronal development is controlled in order to gain a deeper understanding of the pubertal process, infertility, and hypogonadism. The other focus of the lab is to understand the mechanisms of pituitary tumorigenesis. Translational studies are identifying new genes that cause or are markers of pituitary tumor. Both cellular and transgenic animal models as well as human studies are ongoing. Collaborative projects with other investigators at UCDHSC include the role of sex hormones in body weight distribution at menopause and sex hormone effects on HIV transmission and progression in women.
Selected Publications
- Nielsen-Preiss SM, Allen MP, Xu M, Linseman DA, Pawlowski JE, Bouchard RJ, Varnum BC, Heidenreich KA, Wierman ME. Adhesion Related Kinase Induction of Migration Requires PI3-kinase and Ras Stimulation of Rac Activity in immortalized GnRH neuronal cells. Endocrinology. 2007 PUBMED
- Wierman ME. Sex steroid effects at target tissues: mechanisms of action. Adv Physiol Educ. 2007 Mar;31(1):26-33. Review. PUBMED
- Shorts-Cary L, Xu M, Ertel J, Kleinschmidt-Demasters BK, Lillehei K, Matsuoka I, Nielsen-Preiss S, Wierman ME. Bone morphogenetic protein and retinoic acid-inducible neural specific protein-3 is expressed in gonadotrope cell pituitary adenomas and induces proliferation, migration, and invasion. Endocrinology. 2007 Mar;148(3):967-75. PUBMED
- Wierman ME, Basson R, Davis SR, Khosla S, Miller KK, Rosner W, Santoro N. Androgen therapy in women: an Endocrine Society Clinical Practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Oct;91(10):3697-710. PUBMED
- Wierman ME, Pawlowski JE, Allen MP, Xu M, Linseman DA, Nielsen-Preiss S. Molecular mechanisms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal migration. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Apr;15(3):96-102. Review. PUBMED