Dr. Kathryn Grive delivers the CRS New Year’s Lecture

On January 10, 2025, CRS welcomed one of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR)’s 2025 Rising Stars—Dr. Kathryn Grive—to present her research at the annual CRS New Year’s Lectureship. After receiving her PhD from Brown University in 2015, Dr. Grive served as a postdoctoral fellow in Reproductive Biology at Cornell University before taking on the position of Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital in Rhode Island. Since her return to Rhode Island, Dr. Grive has pioneered fascinating work on proteostasis and the maintenance of the ovarian reserve. Her research has been funded by the NIH, NICHD, and the Buck Institute.

Dr. Kathryn Grive shared her work through a talk entitled “The Diverse Roles of Proteostasis Regulator Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1 in Female Reproductive Health.” She began by discussing proteostasis in the context of the ovarian microenvironment. She then introduced her first research question: Are there distinct molecular features of oocytes that could ultimately compromise the ovarian reserve? Grive then focused on UCHL1, a hydrolase that is highly expressed in developing mouse oocytes as well as in human follicle development. To determine the impact of UCHL1 expression on oocyte proteostasis, researchers in the Grive lab induced UCHL1 knockout mouse model to investigate ovarian outcomes. While knockout animals did not exhibit impaired ovarian reserve establishment, they displayed morphological abnormalities in the oocyte, aberrant estrous cycles, and a reduction in ovulation. Upon further investigation of the anovulatory phenotype in the knockout animals, Grive conducted experiments to determine the underlying mechanism of action. She found that granulosa cell populations are heavily impacted by the presence of UCHL1 signaling. Her results underscore that bidirectional communication between oocytes and germ cells is essential for proper proteostasis in the gonad. 

Dr. Grive’s visit brought amazing energy and her exciting research discussion and interactive trainee networking sets the tone for the beginning of a new year for our CRS research community.