Diana Laird, PhD

Title(s)Associate Professor, Ob/Gyn, Reproductive Sciences
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address35 Medical Center Way
San Francisco CA 94143
Phone415-476-5471
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0002-4930-0560 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse Education and Training
    Harvard UniversityA.B.1995Physics
    Stanford UniversityPh.D.2003Biological Sciences
    Sloan Kettering InstitutePostdoctoral Fellowship2007Developmental Biology

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse Overview
    Our work focuses on three interrelated questions: do all developing germ cells have equal potential to give rise to functional eggs or sperm; how do environmental inputs affect germ cells during development, and what is the role of germ cells in ovarian and systemic aging? Using mouse models, human cells, and naked mole rats, we explore these questions in the real-world contexts of prenatal exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and psychosocial stress as well as genetic causes of infertility such as Fragile X Primary Ovarian Insufficiency. Our work spans the fields of epigenetics, developmental and stem cell biology. As a federally-funded lab in a public university, our broad mission is to advance knowledge toward improving human health, provide research training for students and postdoctoral fellows, and promote public awareness of science.

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse Research Activities and Funding
    Using the Ovary to Hack Aging
    W.M. Keck Foundation Jan 1, 2019 - Dec 31, 2022
    Fmr1 Function and Repeat Expansion in the Developing Germline
    NIH R01GM122902Dec 26, 2017 - Nov 30, 2021
    Role: Principal Investigator
    The intersection of stress and environmental chemicals in germ cell reprogramming
    NIH R01ES028212Sep 15, 2017 - Aug 31, 2022
    Role: Principal Investigator
    The 2014 Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting
    NIH R13HD081860Jul 15, 2014 - Jun 30, 2015
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Assessing transgenerational effects of Phthalates on primordial germ cells
    NIH R21ES023297Aug 29, 2013 - Jul 31, 2017
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Cell competition in the developing mouse germline
    NIH DP2OD007420Sep 30, 2010 - Jun 30, 2015
    Role: Principal Investigator
    The UCSF Environmental Research and Translation for Health (EaRTH) Center - Pilot Program
    NIH/NIEHS P30 ES030284
    Role: Deputy Director and Pilot Core Director

    Collapse ORNG Applications 
    Collapse Featured Publications
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    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse Publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Ovary Development: Insights From a Three-Dimensional Imaging Revolution. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021; 9:698315. Soygur B, Laird DJ. PMID: 34381780; PMCID: PMC8351467.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    2. Natural selection at the cellular level: insights from male germ cell differentiation. Cell Death Differ. 2021 07; 28(7):2296-2299. Nguyen DH, Laird DJ. PMID: 34079077; PMCID: PMC8257642.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    3. Intercellular bridges coordinate the transition from pluripotency to meiosis in mouse fetal oocytes. Sci Adv. 2021 Apr; 7(15). Soygur B, Jaszczak RG, Fries A, Nguyen DH, Malki S, Hu G, Demir N, Arora R, Laird DJ. PMID: 33827806; PMCID: PMC8026130.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    
    4. Apoptosis in the fetal testis eliminates developmentally defective germ cell clones. Nat Cell Biol. 2020 12; 22(12):1423-1435. Nguyen DH, Soygur B, Peng SP, Malki S, Hu G, Laird DJ. PMID: 33199844; PMCID: PMC8389187.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    5. MON-LB130 Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling and Stress in the Developing Mammalian Germline. Journal of the Endocrine Society. 2020 May 8; 4(Suppl 1). Cincotta CS, Laird LD. .
      View in: Publisher Site   Mentions:
    6. The UCSF Mouse Inventory Database Application, an Open Source Web App for Sharing Mutant Mice Within a Research Community. G3 (Bethesda). 2020 05 04; 10(5):1503-1510. Wall E, Scoles J, Joo A, Klein O, Quinonez C, Bush JO, Martin GR, Laird DJ. PMID: 32152007; PMCID: PMC7202022.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Animals
    7. Maternal vitamin C regulates reprogramming of DNA methylation and germline development. Nature. 2019 09; 573(7773):271-275. DiTroia SP, Percharde M, Guerquin MJ, Wall E, Collignon E, Ebata KT, Mesh K, Mahesula S, Agathocleous M, Laird DJ, Livera G, Ramalho-Santos M. PMID: 31485074; PMCID: PMC8423347.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 22     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    8. Heterogeneity of primordial germ cells. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2019; 135:155-201. Nguyen DH, Jaszczak RG, Laird DJ. PMID: 31155358; PMCID: PMC6605097.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    9. Heterogeneity of transposon expression and activation of the repressive network in human fetal germ cells. Development. 2019 02 01; 146(12). Reznik B, Cincotta SA, Jaszczak RG, Mateo LJ, Shen J, Cao M, Baskin L, Ye P, An W, Laird DJ. PMID: 30658985; PMCID: PMC6602354.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 10     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    10. How to lose your inheritance. Nature. 2018 10; 562(7728):497-498. Laird DJ. PMID: 30349122.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    11. Kinesin superfamily protein Kif26b links Wnt5a-Ror signaling to the control of cell and tissue behaviors in vertebrates. Elife. 2017 09 08; 6. Susman MW, Karuna EP, Kunz RC, Gujral TS, Cantú AV, Choi SS, Jong BY, Okada K, Scales MK, Hum J, Hu LS, Kirschner MW, Nishinakamura R, Yamada S, Laird DJ, Jao LE, Gygi SP, Greenberg ME, Ho HH. PMID: 28885975; PMCID: PMC5590807.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    12. A pilgrim's progress: Seeking meaning in primordial germ cell migration. Stem Cell Res. 2017 10; 24:181-187. Cantú AV, Laird DJ. PMID: 28754603; PMCID: PMC5634928.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    13. Smad4 regulates growth plate matrix production and chondrocyte polarity. Biol Open. 2017 Mar 15; 6(3):358-364. Whitaker AT, Berthet E, Cantu A, Laird DJ, Alliston T. PMID: 28167493; PMCID: PMC5374397.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2  
    14. Patterning of sharp cellular interfaces with a reconfigurable elastic substrate. Integr Biol (Camb). 2017 01 23; 9(1):50-57. Curtis A, Li DJ, DeVeale B, Onishi K, Kim MY, Blelloch R, Laird DJ, Hui EE. PMID: 28001149; PMCID: PMC5575999.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    15. Insights from imaging the implanting embryo and the uterine environment in three dimensions. Development. 2016 12 15; 143(24):4749-4754. Arora R, Fries A, Oelerich K, Marchuk K, Sabeur K, Giudice LC, Laird DJ. PMID: 27836961; PMCID: PMC5201036.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 14     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    16. ROR2 in the adult mouse testis. Mol Reprod Dev. 2016 11; 83(11):943. Arora R, Laird DJ. PMID: 27696582.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    17. Discrete somatic niches coordinate proliferation and migration of primordial germ cells via Wnt signaling. J Cell Biol. 2016 07 18; 214(2):215-29. Cantú AV, Altshuler-Keylin S, Laird DJ. PMID: 27402951; PMCID: PMC4949447.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    18. Meiotic onset is reliant on spatial distribution but independent of germ cell number in the mouse ovary. J Cell Sci. 2016 07 01; 129(13):2493-9. Arora R, Abby E, Ross AD, Cantu AV, Kissner MD, Castro V, Ho HY, Livera G, Laird DJ. PMID: 27199373; PMCID: PMC5930833.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    19. A miR-372/let-7 Axis Regulates Human Germ Versus Somatic Cell Fates. Stem Cells. 2016 07; 34(7):1985-91. Tran ND, Kissner M, Subramanyam D, Parchem RJ, Laird DJ, Blelloch RH. PMID: 27066911; PMCID: PMC5145290.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 10     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    20. DAZL and CPEB1 regulate mRNA translation synergistically during oocyte maturation. J Cell Sci. 2016 Mar 15; 129(6):1271-82. Sousa Martins JP, Liu X, Oke A, Arora R, Franciosi F, Viville S, Laird DJ, Fung JC, Conti M. PMID: 26826184; PMCID: PMC4813292.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 27     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    21. Cryopreservation and recovery of human endometrial epithelial cells with high viability, purity, and functional fidelity. Fertil Steril. 2016 Feb; 105(2):501-10.e1. Chen JC, Hoffman JR, Arora R, Perrone LA, Gonzalez-Gomez CJ, Vo KC, Laird DJ, Irwin JC, Giudice LC. PMID: 26515378; PMCID: PMC4744114.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    22. Follicle dynamics and global organization in the intact mouse ovary. Dev Biol. 2015 Jul 01; 403(1):69-79. Faire M, Skillern A, Arora R, Nguyen DH, Wang J, Chamberlain C, German MS, Fung JC, Laird DJ. PMID: 25889274; PMCID: PMC4469539.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 17     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    23. Novel domains of expression for orphan receptor tyrosine kinase Ror2 in the human and mouse reproductive system. Dev Dyn. 2014 Aug; 243(8):1037-45. Arora R, Altman E, Tran ND, Laird DJ. PMID: 24753105; PMCID: PMC4258601.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    24. Wnt and Bmp fit germ cells to a T. Dev Cell. 2013 Dec 09; 27(5):485-7. Cantú AV, Laird DJ. PMID: 24331924; PMCID: PMC3929049.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    25. Vitamin C induces Tet-dependent DNA demethylation and a blastocyst-like state in ES cells. Nature. 2013 Aug 08; 500(7461):222-6. Blaschke K, Ebata KT, Karimi MM, Zepeda-Martínez JA, Goyal P, Mahapatra S, Tam A, Laird DJ, Hirst M, Rao A, Lorincz MC, Ramalho-Santos M. PMID: 23812591; PMCID: PMC3893718.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 310     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    26. Humans put their eggs in more than one basket. Nat Cell Biol. 2013 Jan; 15(1):13-5. Laird DJ. PMID: 23263370; PMCID: PMC3889477.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    27. Primordial germ cells and gastrointestinal stromal tumors respond distinctly to a cKit overactivating allele. Hum Mol Genet. 2013 Jan 15; 22(2):313-27. Chen L, Faire M, Kissner MD, Laird DJ. PMID: 23077213; PMCID: PMC3526162.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    28. miR-372/let-7 axis regulates human primordial germ cell specification. Fertility and Sterility. 2012 Sep 1; 98(3):s19. Tran TN, Kissner KM, Laird LD, Blelloch BR. .
      View in: Publisher Site   Mentions:
    29. Ror2 enhances polarity and directional migration of primordial germ cells. PLoS Genet. 2011 Dec; 7(12):e1002428. Laird DJ, Altshuler-Keylin S, Kissner MD, Zhou X, Anderson KV. PMID: 22216013; PMCID: PMC3245308.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 29     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    30. Lin28-let7-Blimp1 Circuitry regulates human primordial germ cells (hPGC) development from human embryonic stem cells (hESC). Fertility and Sterility. 2011 Sep 1; 96(3):s104. Tran TN, Laird LD, Kissner KM, Conti CM, Blelloch BR. .
      View in: Publisher Site   Mentions:
    31. Establishment and characterization of human germ cells derived from embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Fertility and Sterility. 2010 Sep 1; 94(4):s7-s8. Tran TN, Laird LD, Kissner KM, Supramanyam SD, Conti CM, Blelloch BR. .
      View in: Publisher Site   Mentions:
    32. Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes have the functional and proliferative capabilities needed for liver regeneration in mice. J Clin Invest. 2010 Sep; 120(9):3120-6. Espejel S, Roll GR, McLaughlin KJ, Lee AY, Zhang JY, Laird DJ, Okita K, Yamanaka S, Willenbring H. PMID: 20739754; PMCID: PMC2929736.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 65     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    33. Stem cell trafficking in tissue development, growth, and disease. Cell. 2008 Feb 22; 132(4):612-30. Laird DJ, von Andrian UH, Wagers AJ. PMID: 18295579.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 98     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    34. Stem cells are units of natural selection in a colonial ascidian. Cell. 2005 Dec 29; 123(7):1351-60. Laird DJ, De Tomaso AW, Weissman IL. PMID: 16377573.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 59     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    35. Identification of a novel gene involved in asexual organogenesis in the budding ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Dev Dyn. 2005 Dec; 234(4):997-1005. Laird DJ, Chang WT, Weissman IL, Lauzon RJ. PMID: 16193502; PMCID: PMC2821222.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    36. Predatory stem cells in the non-zebrafish chordate, Botryllus schlosseri. Zebrafish. 2005; 1(4):357-61. Laird DJ, De Tomaso AW. PMID: 18248214.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    37. Telomerase maintained in self-renewing tissues during serial regeneration of the urochordate Botryllus schlosseri. Dev Biol. 2004 Sep 15; 273(2):185-94. Laird DJ, Weissman IL. PMID: 15328006.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 10     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    38. Continuous development precludes radioprotection in a colonial ascidian. Dev Comp Immunol. 2004 Mar; 28(3):201-9. Laird DJ, Weissman IL. PMID: 14642887.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    39. 50 million years of chordate evolution: seeking the origins of adaptive immunity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Jun 20; 97(13):6924-6. Laird DJ, De Tomaso AW, Cooper MD, Weissman IL. PMID: 10860947; PMCID: PMC34360.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 22     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
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