Rachel Mullen
Department of Genetics, Division of Discovery Science
About Rachel Mullen
Dr. Mullen is an Instructor in the Department of Genetics. She completed her PhD in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at Indiana University School of Medicine at Indianapolis. She worked on further understanding transcriptional regulation of pituitary development. Through her research, she discovered multiple transcriptional enhancers of the LHX3 gene, a key factor required for pituitary development whose mutation results in human combined pituitary hormone deficiency disorder.
Dr. Mullen joined Dr. Behringer’s laboratory as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2011 and was promoted to Instructor in 2017. Her research here focuses on understanding mesenchyme-epithelia interactions during early sex differentiation. The Mullerian ducts are a pair of simple tubes with outer mesenchyme and inner epithelium which differentiate into a uterus in females but are regressed in males. Hormone signaling from the male testes to the Mullerian duct mesenchyme activate cellular and molecular changes resulting in regression of the mesenchyme and adjacent epithelial cells. Her overall goal is to broaden understanding of how adjacent cell types communicate. By elucidating the mechanism behind this spatially and temporally defined developmental process her work may lead to key insights into cell-cell interactions in other developmental processes and diseases including cancer.
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Dr. Mullen joined Dr. Behringer’s laboratory as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2011 and was promoted to Instructor in 2017. Her research here focuses on understanding mesenchyme-epithelia interactions during early sex differentiation. The Mullerian ducts are a pair of simple tubes with outer mesenchyme and inner epithelium which differentiate into a uterus in females but are regressed in males. Hormone signaling from the male testes to the Mullerian duct mesenchyme activate cellular and molecular changes resulting in regression of the mesenchyme and adjacent epithelial cells. Her overall goal is to broaden understanding of how adjacent cell types communicate. By elucidating the mechanism behind this spatially and temporally defined developmental process her work may lead to key insights into cell-cell interactions in other developmental processes and diseases including cancer.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, Division of Discovery Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Instructor, Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Instructor, Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Research Interests
My research focuses on reproductive organ development and understanding how genetic mutations can lead to birth defects and infertility. Specifically, I study the anti-Müllerian (AMH) pathway, a hormone pathway responsible for ensuring a genetic boy does not develop a uterus, fallopian tubes and part of a vagina. Müllerian ducts, the primordial female reproductive tract, are a simple pair of epithelial tubes surrounded by mesenchyme that form in embryos of both sexes. Precisely timed signaling between the Müllerian duct mesenchyme and adjacent epithelium induce its elimination in males. Anti-Mullerian hormone secreted from fetal testes binds to AMH receptors in Müllerian duct mesenchyme and initiates regression of the duct. Mutations in human AMH and its type 2 receptor result in Persistent Müllerian Duct Syndrome (PMDS) where male patients retain a uterus and other Müllerian duct derived organs. Men with PMDS suffer from infertility, a higher incidence of testicular cancer and can develop cancer in the retained Müllerian duct derived organs. The genetic cause of PMDS is unknown in roughly 1 in 10 cases. The possibility of providing genetic answers to patients with developmental syndromes and disease is a strong personal motivator for my research. Few downstream targets of AMH signaling have been identified and how these targets act to facilitate Müllerian duct regression is unknown. My studies are significant to better understanding human sex differentiation and infertility and have the potential to uncover new genetic causes of PMDS. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of this mesenchymal-epithelial tissue remodeling event may also provide insights into human disease, including cancer.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2011 | Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, US, Molecular Biology, Ph.D |
| 2002 | Indiana University East, Richmond, Indiana, US, Biology, BS |
Postgraduate Training
| 2011-2017 | Research Fellowship, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
Honors & Awards
| 2013 - 2015 | Postdoctoral Scholar Fellowship, Center for Stem Cell and Developmental Biology |
| 2011 - 2013 | Postdoctoral Scholar Fellowship, NIH |
| 2007 - 2008 | Graduate Fellowship in Translational Research, Indiana University School of Medicine |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2022. Determining Sex: Biomechanical Mechanisms of Male Differentiation. Conference. 27th Annual Texas Forum for Reproductive Sciences. Houston, TX, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2025. Cellular and Biomechanical Regulation of Müllerian Duct Regression in Mouse. Poster. 30th Texas Forum for Reproductive Sciences Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
National Presentations
- 2025. Cellular and Biomechanical Regulation of Müllerian Duct Regression in Mouse. Poster. Developmental Biology Gordon Research Conference. Pomona, California, US.
- 2017. Mesenchyme-Epithelia Interactions during Reproductive Tract Differentiation. Invited. Gordon Research Conference Fertilization & Activation of Development. Holderness School Plymouth, NH, US.
International Presentations
- 2023. Cellular and Biomechanical Regulation of Müllerian Duct Regression in Mouse. Conference. 9th International Symposium on the Biology of Vertebrate Sex Determination. Kona, US.
- 2021. A Biomechanical Model of Müllerian Duct Regression During Male Differentiation. Conference. First Virtual International Symposium on Vertebrate Sex Determination, US.
- 2015. Mesenchyme-Epithelia Signaling During Reproductive Tract Development. Conference. Seventh International Symposium on the Biology of Vertebrate Sex Determination. Kona, US.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Lee, S, Bondaruk, J, Wang, Y, Chen, H, Lee, JG, Majewski, T, Mullen, RD, Cogdell, D, Chen, J, Wang, Z, Yao, H, Kuś, P, Jeong, J, Lee, I, Choi, W, Navai, N, Guo, C, Dinney, CP, Baggerly, KA, Mendelsohn, C, McConkey, D, Behringer, RR, Kimmel, M, Wei, P, Czerniak, BA. Loss of LPAR6 and CAB39L dysregulates the basal-to-luminal urothelial differentiation program, contributing to bladder carcinogenesis. Cell Reports 43(5), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38676926.
- Stewart CA, Stewart MD, Wang Y, Mullen RD, Kircher BK, Liang R, Liu Y, Behringer RR. Chronic Estrus Disrupts Uterine Gland Development and Homeostasis. Endocrinology 163(3), 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35134138.
- Mullen RD, Bellessort B, Levi G, Behringer RR. Distal-less homeobox genes Dlx5/6 regulate Müllerian duct regression. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 13:916173, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35909540.
- Moses MM, Mullen RD, Idowu DI, Maye P, Jamin SP, Behringer RR. A transgenic bacterial artificial chromosome approach to identify regulatory regions that direct Amhr2 and Osterix expression in Müllerian duct mesenchyme. Front Cell Dev Biol 10:1006087, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36313563.
- Yen ST, Trimmer KA, Aboul-Fettouh N, Mullen RD, Culver JC, Dickinson ME, Behringer RR, Eisenhoffer GT. CreLite: An optogenetically controlled Cre/loxP system using red light. Dev Dyn. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32745301.
- Bethea M, Liu Y, Wade AK, Mullen R, Gupta R, Gelfanov V, DiMarchi R, Bhatnagar S, Behringer R, Habegger KM, Hunter CS. The islet-expressed Lhx1 transcription factor interacts with Islet-1 and contributes to glucose homeostasis. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 316(3):E397-E409, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30620636.
- Mullen RD, Wang Y, Liu B, Moore EL, Behringer RR. Osterix functions downstream of anti-Müllerian hormone signaling to regulate Müllerian duct regression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115(33):8382-8387, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30061417.
- Park S, Mullen RD, Rhodes SJ. Cell-specific actions of a human LHX3 gene enhancer during pituitary and spinal cord development. Mol Endocrinol 27(12):2013-27, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24100213.
- Stewart MD, Deng JM, Stewart CA, Mullen RD, Wang Y, Lopez S, Serna MK, Huang CC, Janovick JA, Pask AJ, Schwartz RJ, Conn PM, Behringer RR. Mice harboring Gnrhr E90K, a mutation that causes protein misfolding and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in humans, exhibit testis size reduction and ovulation failure. Mol Endocrinol 26(11):1847-56, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22918878.
- Mullen RD, Park S, Rhodes SJ. A distal modular enhancer complex acts to control pituitary- and nervous system-specific expression of the LHX3 regulatory gene. Mol Endocrinol 26(2):308-19, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22194342.
- Pfaeffle RW, Hunter CS, Savage JJ, Duran-Prado M, Mullen RD, Neeb ZP, Eiholzer U, Hesse V, Haddad NG, Stobbe HM, Blum WF, Weigel JF, Rhodes SJ. Three novel missense mutations within the LHX4 gene are associated with variable pituitary hormone deficiencies. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93(3):1062-71, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18073311.
- Savage JJ, Mullen RD, Sloop KW, Colvin SC, Camper SA, Franklin CL, Rhodes SJ. Transgenic mice expressing LHX3 transcription factor isoforms in the pituitary: effects on the gonadotrope axis and sex-specific reproductive disease. J Cell Physiol 212(1):105-17, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17311285.
Invited Articles
- Mullen RD, Ontiveros AE, Moses MM, Behringer RR. AMH and AMHR2 mutations: A spectrum of reproductive phenotypes across vertebrate species. Dev Biol 455(1):1-9, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31301298.
- Mullen RD, Behringer RR. Molecular genetics of Müllerian duct formation, regression and differentiation. Sex Dev 8(5):281-96, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25033758.
- Yusuf D, Butland SL, Swanson MI, Bolotin E, Ticoll A, Cheung WA, Zhang XY, Dickman CT, Fulton DL, Lim JS, Schnabl JM, Ramos OH, Vasseur-Cognet M, de Leeuw CN, Simpson EM, Ryffel GU, Lam EW, Kist R, Wilson MS, Marco-Ferreres R, Brosens JJ, Beccari LL, Bovolenta P, Benayoun BA, Monteiro LJ, Schwenen HD, Grontved L, Wederell E, Mandrup S, Veitia RA, Chakravarthy H, Hoodless PA, Mancarelli MM, Torbett BE, Banham AH, Reddy SP, Cullum RL, Liedtke M, Tschan MP, Vaz M, Rizzino A, Zannini M, Frietze S, Farnham PJ, Eijkelenboom A, Brown PJ, Laperrière D, Leprince D, de Cristofaro T, Prince KL, Putker M, del Peso L, Camenisch G, Wenger RH, Mikula M, Rozendaal M, Mader S, Ostrowski J, Rhodes SJ, Van Rechem C, Boulay G, Olechnowicz SW, Breslin MB, Lan MS, Nanan KK, Wegner M, Hou J, Mullen RD, Colvin SC, Noy PJ, Webb CF, Witek ME, Ferrell S, Daniel JM, Park J, Waldman SA, Peet DJ, Taggart M, Jayaraman PS, Karrich JJ, Blom B, Vesuna F, O'Geen H, Sun Y, Gronostajski RM, Woodcroft MW, Hough MR, Chen E, Europe-Finner GN, Karolczak-Bayatti M, Bailey J, Hankinson O, Raman V, LeBrun DP, Biswal S, Harvey CJ, DeBruyne JP, Hogenesch JB, Hevner RF, Héligon C, Luo XM, Blank MC, Millen KJ, Sharlin DS, Forrest D, Dahlman-Wright K, Zhao C, Mishima Y, Sinha S, Chakrabarti R, Portales-Casamar E, Sladek FM, Bradley PH, Wasserman WW. The transcription factor encyclopedia. Genome Biol 13(3):R24, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22458515.
- Colvin SC, Mullen RD, Pfaeffle RW, Rhodes SJ. LHX3 and LHX4 transcription factors in pituitary development and disease. Pediatr Endocrinol Rev 6 Suppl 2:283-90, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19337183.
Book Chapters
- Mullen R, Vue Z, Yen S, Ontiveros AE, Stewart CA, Behringer RR. Fetal and Postnatal Female Tract Development. In: Encyclopedia of Reproduction 3rd. Elsevier Science & Technology, 2025.
- Vue Z, Mullen RD, Yen S, Ontiveros AE, Stewart CA, Behringer RR. Fetal and Postnatal Female Tract Development. In: Encyclopedia of Reproduction 2nd. Elsevier Science & Technology, 2018.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified March 06, 2026