Dr. April K. Binder

"Teaching and mentoring students is awesome and I couldn’t imagine doing anything different.
Sharing my love of cell biology, hormones, and doing fun experiments is the best part of my job! 
Watching young scientists mature during their time here and continue to succeed after graduation
is bittersweet, but that also means a new group of students will be entering the classroom/lab and
the cycle will continue."

Education

National Institutue of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research
Postdoctoral Fellowship, March 2010- December 2013

Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
Ph.D. Biochemistry, December 2009

University of Redlands, Redlands, California
B.A. Biology, May 2003

Research

Reproductive biology focused on hormonal control of ovarian function and development

My research is focused on understanding female reproductive biology and hormonal imbalances that may lead to ovarian dysfunction and infertility.  My laboratory uses molecular techniques to examine gene regulation and transcriptional changes that occur downstream of estrogen receptor signaling and other hormone mediated events in ovarian cells.  We also utilize a mouse model of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) to examine the effects of excess androgen on both ovarian and metabolic functions to gain insight into possible causes of female infertility. 

In the lab we utilize both in vitro (cell culture) and in vivo (mouse model) techniques to gain understanding of ovarian function in response to steroid hormone signaling such as estrogen and androgen receptors.

Selected Publications

• Binder AK, Peecher DL#, Qvigstad AJ*, Gutierrez SD*, Magana J*, Banks D & Korach KS. Differential Strain-Dependent Ovarian and Metabolic Responses in a Mouse Model of PCOS. Endocrinology. 2023; 164(4). doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqad024.
• Sacco A#, Watsa M, Erkenswick G, Mayhew JA, and Binder AK. Detection of neopterin in the urine of captive and wild platyrrhines. BMC Zoology 2020. 5, 2: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40850-020-00051-9
• Peecher DL#, Binder AK, Gabriel KI. Rodent models of mental illness in PCOS: The potential role of HPA dysregulation and lessons for behavioral researchers.  Biology of Reproduction 2019; 100(3): 590-600. doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioy233
• Binder AK, Kosak J, Janhardhan KS, Moser G, Eling T and Korach KS. Expression of Human NSAID Activated Gene 1 in Mice Leads to Altered Mammary Gland Differentiation and Impaired Lactation.  PLoS ONE 2016; 11(1): DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0146518
• Wardell JR, Hodgkinson KM, Binder AK, Seymour KA, Korach KS, Vanderhyden BC, and Freiman RN. Estrogen-Responsiveness of the TFIID Subunit TAF4B in the Normal Mouse Ovary and in Ovarian Tumors. Biology of Reproduction 2013; 89(5): 116, 1-9.
• Binder AK+, Rodriguez KF+, Stockton PS, Hamilton KJ, Reed CE, and Korach KS. The absence of ERβ results in altered gene expression in ovarian granulosa cells from in vivo preovulatory follicles. Endocrinology 2013; 154(6): 2174-78.
• Binder AK, Grammer JC, Herndon, MK, Stanton JD and Nilson JH. GnRH Regulation of Jun and Atf3 Requires Calcium, Calcineurin, and NFAT. Molecular Endocrinology 2012; 26(5): 873-886.
• Salisbury TB+, Binder AK+, Grammer JC, and Nilson JH. GnRH-Regulated Expression of Jun and JUN Target Genes in Gonadotropes Requires a Functional Interaction between TCF/LEF Family Members and β-catenin. Molecular Endocrinology 2009; 23(3): 402-411.
• Salisbury TB+, Binder AK+, Grammer JC, and Nilson JH. Welcoming β-catenin to the Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Transcriptional Network in Gonadotropes. Molecular Endocrinology 2008; 22(6): 1295-1303.
• Salisbury TB, Binder AK, Grammer JC, and Nilson JH. Maximal Activity of the Luteinizing Hormone β-subunit Gene Requires β-Catenin. Molecular Endocrinology 2007; 21: 963-971.

# denotes graduate student, * denotes undergraduate student

+ Authors contributed equally and should be listed as co-first authors.

Courses Taught

• General Biology II (BIOL182)
• Human Physiology (BIOL 201)
• Developmental Biology (BIOL 354)
• Endocrinology (BIOL 446/546)
• Biology Capstone (BIOL 487)
• Molecular Biotechnology (BIOL 425)
• Cell Biology (BIOL 430)
• Cell Biology of Cancer (BIOL 431)
• STEP 301