Dr. Ryan Paitz
Associate Professor of Endocrinology

Office
SLB Science Laboratory Building 254
Office Hours
by appointment
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Selected Research
Biography
I am a comparative physiologist interested in how vertebrate embryos regulate their exposure to maternal steroids and environmental chemicals.
Current Courses
BSC 299.009 Independent Honor Study
BSC 499.028 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis
BSC 197.001 Molecular And Cellular Basis Of Life
BSC 290.050 Research In Biological Sciences
BSC 599.028 Research In The Biological Sciences
Teaching Interests & Areas
Endocrinology, Comparative Physiology, Developmental Biology, Embryology
Research Interests & Areas
Embryonic development, steroid metabolism, maternal effects, steroids, endocrine disruption
Ph D Biological Sciences
Illinois State University
Normal, IL
BS Genetics
Iowa State University
Ames, IA
Grants and Contracts
2024 Spring BirdFEEDER
Lilly King, Ryan Paitz.
Illinois State University. January 2024 - May 2024
2023 Fall Firebird
Libby Tillman, Ryan Paitz.
Illinois State University. September 2023 - December 2023
2023 Fall Firebird
Alyssa Bernauer, Ryan Paitz.
Illinois State University. September 2023 - December 2023
2023 Fall Firebird
Anna Roseland, Ryan Paitz.
Illinois State University. September 2023 - December 2023
2023 Summer Firebird
Delaney Reynolds, Ryan Paitz.
Illinois State University. June 2023 - August 2023
Book, Chapter
Sex determination and differentiation in reptiles
Amanda Carter, Ryan Paitz, Satomi Kohno.
(2024), 3, 1-33, Hormones and Reproduction of Vertebrates (Second Edition), Elsevier
Journal Article
Early Developmental Decline in HSP Expression Affects Subsequent Response to Transient Heat Exposure
Clinton Warren, Madison Wilken, Jacob Rollins, Ryan Paitz, Rachel Bowden.
Integrative Organismal Biology, (2025)
Elevating Testosterone and Androstenedione Produces Temporary Sex‐Dependent Variation in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) Embryonic Development
Sarah Winnicki, Mark Hauber, Ryan Paitz, Wendy Schelsky.
Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology, (2025)
Maternal deposition of hormones and contaminants shape the gonadal transcriptome in American alligators
Christopher Smaga, Samantha Bock, Josiah Johnson, Ryan Paitz, Andrew Letter, Arnold Brunell, Benjamin Parrott.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B, (2025)
Responsiveness to cold snaps by turtle embryos depends on exposure timing 2 and duration
Clinton Warren, Anthony Breitenbach, Rachel Bowden, Ryan Paitz.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B, (2025)
Why not both? A case study in measuring cortisol and corticosterone
Sarah Westrick, Ryan Paitz, Eva Fischer.
Integrative Organismal Biology, (2025)
Yolk steroid concentrations decline in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) eggs throughout incubation
Sarah Winnicki, Mark Hauber, Ryan Paitz, Thomas Benson.
Biorxiv, (2025)
Avian extraembryonic membranes respond to yolk corticosterone early in development
Emily Harders, Mitch Agustin, Ryan Paitz.
Biology Open, (2024)
Extraembryonic metabolism of corticosterone protects against effects of exposure
Emily Harders, Christina Charboneau, Ryan Paitz.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, (2024)
Experiencing short heat waves early in development changes thermal responsiveness of turtle embryos to later heat waves
Anthony Breitenbach, Rosario Marroquin-Flores, Ryan Paitz, Rachel Bowden.
Journal of Experimental Biology, (2023)
The response to stressors in adulthood depends on the interaction between prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids and environmental context
Ariana Majer, Ryan Paitz, Gianna Tricola, Jack Geuduldig, Hannah Litwa, Jenna Farmer, Brenna Prevelige, Mark Haussmann.
Scientific Reports, (2023)
Why not both? A case study measuring cortisol and corticosterone in poison frogs
Sarah Westrick, Ryan Paitz, Eva Fischer.
BioRxiv, (2023)
Sex-specific effects of hatching order on nestling baseline corticosterone in a wild songbird
Madi Rittinger, Logan Sauers, Ryan Paitz, Christine Poppe, Charles Thompson, Scott Sakaluk.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, (2022)
Temperature fluctuations and estrone sulfate affect gene expression via different mechanisms to promote female development in a species with temperature-dependent sex determination
Rosario Marroquin Flores, Ryan Paitz, Rachel Bowden.
Journal of Experimental Biology, (2022)
Brief exposure to warm temperatures reduces intron retention in Kdm6b in a species with temperature-dependent sex determination
Rosario Marroquin-Flores, Rachel M Bowden, Ryan T Paitz.
Biology Letters, (2021)
Is thermal responsiveness affected by maternal estrogens in species with temperature-dependent sex determination?
Rachel M Bowden, Ryan T Paitz.
Sexual Development, (2021), DOI: 10.1159/000515187
Characterizing the timing of yolk testosterone metabolism and the effects of etiocholanolone on development in avian eggs.
Nicole Campbell, Rachel M Bowden, Joseph M Casto, Ryan Paitz.
Journal of Experimental Biology, (2020)
Comment on: Carter AW, Paitz RT, Bowden RM. 2019. The Devil is in the Details: Identifying Aspects of Temperature Variation that Underlie Sex Determination in Species with TSD. Integrative and Comparative Biology 59:1081-8 Reply
Amanda W Carter, Ryan T Paitz, Rachel M Bowden.
Integrative and Comparative Biology60, 60, 1351-1354, (2020)
Effects of predation risk on egg steroid profiles across multiple populations of threespine stickleback
Ryan Paitz, Katie McGhee, John Baker, Susan Foster, Alison Bell.
Scientific Reports, (2020)
In ovo metabolism of estradiol to estrone sulfate in chicken eggs: Implications for how yolk estradiol influences embryonic development
Ryan Paitz, Rachel Angles, Erin Cagney.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, 287, (2020)
Inter-individual variation in anti-parasitic egg rejection behavior: a test of the maternal investment hypothesis.
Hauber Mark, Abolins-Abols, Catrina Kim, Ryan Paitz.
(2020)
Reply to Monsinjon, Girondot, and Guillon
Amanda Carter, Ryan Paitz, Rachel Bowden.
(2020)
In ovo metabolism and yolk glucocorticoid concentration interact to influence embryonic glucocorticoid exposure patterns
Brian Vassallo, Hanna Litwa, Mark Haussmann, Ryan Paitz.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, (2019)
In ovo metabolism of progesterone to 5β-pregnanedione in chicken eggs: Implications for how yolk progesterone influences embryonic development
Ryan Paitz, Erin Cagney.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, (2019)
Is there an oxidative cost of acute stress? Characterization, implication of glucocorticoids and modulation by prior stress experience
Ariana Majer, Vince Fasanello, Kailey Tindle, Brian Frenz, Alexis Zuir, Chelsea Fischer, Kelsey Fletcher, Olivia Seecof, Sarah Gronsky, Brian Vassallo, Wendy Reed, Ryan Paitz, Antoine Stier, Mark Haussmann.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B, (2019)
Quantification of 27 yolk steroid hormones in seven shrubland bird species: interspecific patterns of hormone deposition and links to life history, development, and predation risk
Loren Merrill, Scott Chiavacci, Ryan Paitz.
(2019)
Presentations
Developmental endocrinology before gonads: Do extraembryonic membranes initiate sex differences?
Ryan Paitz, Mark Haussmann, Ken Fields.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Atlanta, GA, January, 2025
Effects of early heat exposure on heat-shock protein responsiveness in turtle embryos
Clinton Warren, Madison Wilken, Ryan Paitz, Rachel Bowden.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Atlanta, GA, January, 2025
The role individual social experiences play in shaping maternal hormone allocation
Jasmeen Kaur, Ryan Paitz, Golnaz Habibi, Eli Bridge, Alexandra Bentz.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Atlanta, GA, January, 2025
Yolk estrogens and primordial germ cells in a species with temperature-dependent sex determination
Madison Wilken, Clinton Warren, Rachel Bowden, Ryan Paitz.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Atlanta, GA, January, 2025
Yolk steroids but not antibodies vary with prior maternal disease exposure and diet.
Sarah DuRant, Erin Sauer, Ashley Love, Ryan Paitz.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Atlanta, GA, January, 2025
Avian embryos concurrently metabolize and respond to yolk corticosterone
Emily Harders, Ryan Paitz.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting, Austin, TX, January 4, 2023
How to pick a lane: Exploring TSD mechanisms when embryos are exposed to male- and female-producing temperatures during development
Tony Breitenbach, Ryan Paitz, Rachel Bowden.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Online, January, 2022
Rapid response of intron retention in Kdm6b may mediate the temperature response of testis-determining genes in the red-eared slider turtle
Rosario Marroquin Flores, Rachel Bowden, Ryan Paitz.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Phoenix, AZ, January, 2022
Do thermal fluctuations affect gene expression differently than constant conditions?
Tony Breitenbach, , Ryan Paitz.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Online, January, 2021
Heat Wave Timing, Continuity, and Length Affect Temperature-dependent Sex Determination in a Freshwater Turtle
Tony Breitenbach, Amanda Carter, Ryan Paitz, Rachel Michelle Bowden.
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Tampa, FL, January, 2019
Do vertebrate eggs contain maternally derived steroidogenic enzymes that are susceptible to inhibition by endocrine disruptors?
Ryan Paitz, Rachel Michelle Bowden.
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, West Palm Beach, FL, January 3, 2015
Does sex vary with season via maternal estrogens when temperatures fluctuate?
Amanda W Carter, Rachel Michelle Bowden, Ryan Paitz.
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, West Palm Beach, FL, January 3, 2015