Professor Mayo's laboratory investigates hormone action and signal transduction in the mammalian reproductive axis. They are examining developmental pathways involved in the initial formation and growth of ovarian follicles, and are focusing on the role of Notch signaling in mediating somatic cell - germ cell interactions. They are also studying the dynamic hormonal regulation of gene expression in follicles as they mature and ovulate, with an emphasis on the genes encoding the ovarian hormone inhibin.