Participating Faculty

Patricia Hunt

Department:	School of Molecular Biosciences, WSU
Credentials:	1983 - Ph.D., University of Hawaii; Reproductive Biology
Office:	Biotech Lsf 333
Phone:	509-335-4954
Fax:	509-335-8991
Mailing Address:	Center for Reproductive Biology PO Box 647521 Pullman, WA 99164-7521
E-mail:	pathunt@wsu.edu
Website:	Click here

Research Interests

Mammalian Germ Cells and Meiosis

Research Summary

Research in the Hunt laboratory focuses on mammalian germ cells, with a major emphasis on meiosis, the specialized cell division that gives rise to the haploid germ cells. In the human female the incidence of pregnancy loss due to chromosome abnormalities is extraordinarily high. This is a reflection of the fact that the meiotic process is highly error-prone and the incidence of errors in women is strongly influenced by age. Thus, a major research focus is on understanding the control of the normal meiotic process in the mammalian female, the mechanisms(s) by which errors occur, and the way in which age influences female meiosis. In addition, a serendipitous finding that resulted from an accidental exposure in our animal facility, has led to a new avenue of research for the Hunt laboratory. The inadvertent exposure of our mice to the estrogen mimic, bisphenol A (BPA) from damaged caging materials (polycarbonate cages and water bottles) led to the realization that environmentally relevant doses of BPA cause meiotic disruption and aneuploidy in the mouse. Current studies focus on determining the reproductive effects of exposure to chemicals with estrogenic activity during different developmental time points. 

Research Publications

VandeVoort, CA, Van Winkle, LS, Williams, CJ, Hunt, PA, Hung, P, 2017 Prenatal bisphenol A exposure alters epithelial cell composition of the macaque fetal oviduct, PLoS One 11(12):e0165410.

Ahuja JS, Sandhu R, Mainpal R, Lawson C, Henley H, Hunt PA, Yanowitz JL, Börner GV, 2017, Control of meiotic pairing and recombination by chromosomally tethered 26S proteasome, Science, 355(6323):408-411.

Wang, S, Hassold, T, Hunt, P, White MA, Zickler, D and Kleckner, N, 2017, Inefficient crossover maturation underlies elevated aneuploidy in human female meiosis, Cell, 168(6):977-989

Hunt, PA, 2017 Oocyte biology: Do the wheels fall off with age? 2017, Dispatch in Current Biology 27(7):R266-269.

Hrubec, T, Melin, V, Shea, C, Ferguson, E, Garofola, C, Repine, C, Chapman, T, Patel, H, Razvi, R, Potinene, H, Magnin-Bissel, G, and Hunt, P, 2017Ambient and dosed exposure to quaternary ammonioum disinfectants causes neural tube defects in rodents, in revision for Birth Defects Research 109(14):1166-1178.

Horan T, Marre A, Hassold T, Hunt PA (2017) Germline and reproductive tract effects intensify in male mice with successive generations of exposure. PLoS Genetics, 13(7): e1006885.

Horan, T. S., et al. (2017). "Germline and reproductive tract effects intensify in male mice with successive generations of estrogenic exposure." PLoS Genet 13(7): e1006885.
Hrubec, T. C., et al. (2017). "Ambient and Dosed Exposure to Quaternary Ammonium Disinfectants Causes Neural Tube Defects in Rodents." Birth Defects Res 109(14): 1166-1178.

Gerona, RR, Pan, J, Zota, AR, Schwartz, JM, Friesen, M, Taylor, JA, Hunt, PA, Woodruff, TJ, 2016, Direct measurement of bisphenol A (BPA), BPA glucuronide and BPA sulfate in a diverse and low-income population of pregnant women reveals high exposure, with potential implications for previous exposure estimates: a cross sectional study, Environmental Health, 15:50 DOI 10.1186/s12940-016-0131-2 PMCID: PMC4828888

Hunt, PA, Sathyanarayana, S, Fowler, PA, Trasande, L, 2016, Female Reproductive Disorders, Diseases and Costs of Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the European Union. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 101(4):1562-70 PMCID: PMC4880176

Trasande, L, Zoeller, RT, Hass, U, Kortenkamp, A, Grandjean, P, Myers, JP, DiGangi, J, Hunt, PA, Rudel, R, Sathyanarayana, S, Bellanger, M, Hauser, R, Legler, J, Skakkebaek, NE, Heindel, JJ, 2016, Burden of disease and cost of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in the European Union: an undated analysis, Andrology, 4(4):565-72 PMID: 27003928

Attina, TM, Hauser, R, Sathyanarayana, S, Hunt, PA, Bourguignon, JP, Myers, JP, DiGangi, J, Zoeller, RT, Trasande, L, 2016, Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the USA: a population-based disease burden and cost analysis, Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 4(12):996-1003 PMID: 27765541

Sartain, C and Hunt, PA, 2016, An old culprit but a new story: BPA and ‘NextGen” bisphenols, Fertility and Sterility 106(4):820-6 PMID: 27504789

VandeVoort, CA, Gerona, RR, vom Saal, FS, Tarantal, AF, Hunt, PA, Hillenweck, A, Zalko, D., 2016, Maternal and fetal pharmacokinetics of oral radiolabeled and authentic bisphenol A in the rhesus monkey, PLoS One, 11(12): e0165410. PMCID: PMC5145146

Gerona, R. R., et al. (2016). "Direct measurement of Bisphenol A (BPA), BPA glucuronide and BPA sulfate in a diverse and low-income population of pregnant women reveals high exposure, with potential implications for previous exposure estimates: a cross-sectional study." Environ Health 15: 50.

Hunt, P. A., et al. (2016). "Female Reproductive Disorders, Diseases, and Costs of Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the European Union." J Clin Endocrinol Metab 101(4): 1562-1570.

Sartain, C. V. and P. A. Hunt (2016). "An old culprit but a new story: bisphenol A and "NextGen" bisphenols." Fertil Steril 106(4): 820-826.

Trasande, L., et al. (2016). "Burden of disease and costs of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in the European Union: an updated analysis." Andrology 4(4): 565-572.

Vrooman, LA, Oatley JM, Griswold JE, Hassold TJ, Hunt PA, 2015, Estrogenic exposure alters the spermatogonial stem cells in the developing testis, permanently reducing crossover levels in adult. PLoS Genet 11(1): e1004949. PMCID: PMC4304829

Yang, QE, Nagaoka, S, Gwost, I, Hunt, PA, Oatley, JM, 2015, Inactivation of Retinoblastoma Protein (Rb1) in the Oocyte: Evidence That Dysregulated Follicle Growth Drives Ovarian Teratoma Formation in Mice. PLoS Genetics, 11(7):e1005355. PMCID: PMC4503754

Gruhn, JR, Al-Asmar, N, Fasnacht, R, Maylor-Hagen, H, Peinado, V, Rubio, C, Broman, KW, Hunt, PA, Hassold, T, 2015, Correlations between synaptic initiation and meiotic recombination: A study of humans and mice. Am J Hum Genet 98(1):102-15 PMCID: PMC4716685

Hunt, P. and T. C. Hrubec (2015). "Letter to the Editor in response to Hostetler." Reprod Toxicol 52: 120-121.

Vrooman, L. A., et al. (2015). "Estrogenic exposure alters the spermatogonial stem cells in the developing testis, permanently reducing crossover levels in the adult." PLoS Genet 11(1): e1004949.