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Human Endometrium (human + endometrium)
Selected AbstractsORIGINAL ARTICLE: Modulation of Expression of Toll-like receptors in the Human EndometriumAMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Zhenyun Lin Problem, The purpose of the study was to investigate the different expressions of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the proliferative and the secretory phase of endometrial tissue. Method of study, Eight infertile women were included in this study. The endometrial tissues of proliferative and secretory phase were obtained from each woman. The tissues were evaluated for the expression of mRNA for TLR1,10 by reverse transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The proteins of TLR2, 3, 4, and 9 were evaluated by Western blot. The mRNA and protein level of proliferative and secretory endometrial tissue from the same woman was compared. The data were analysed with SPSS15.0. Results, TLR1,7, 9, and 10 mRNA were expressed throughout the menstrual cycle, but in the same woman, the expression of TLR2,6, 9, and 10 mRNA was higher during the secretory phase than that in the proliferative phase. The Western blot also showed that the protein expression of TLR2, 3, 4, and 9 was stronger in the secretory phase than that in the proliferative phase in the same woman. Conclusion, The expression of TLRs is cycle dependent in human endometrial tissue. The expressions of TLRs were higher in the secretory phase than that in the proliferative phase: this indicated that TLRs may be regulated by sex hormones throughout the menstrual cycle. [source] The organic cation transporters (OCT1, OCT2, EMT) and the plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT) show differential distribution and cyclic expression pattern in human endometrium and early pregnancy deciduaMOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 10 2007Barbara Bottalico Abstract The non-neuronal monoamine transporters (OCT1, OCT2, EMT, and PMAT) play a key role in the clearance of monoamines from extracellular compartments. In a previous report we described endometrial distribution and cyclic variation of the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) mRNA and the neuronal norepinephrine transporter (NET) mRNA. In the present study we used in situ hybridization, real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry to reveal tissue distribution and cyclic variation of mRNA for the non-neuronal monoamine transporters in the human endometrium and early pregnancy decidua. We found that non-neuronal monoamine transporters are predominantly expressed in the stroma. The plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT) mRNA expression peaked in the proliferative phase, whereas the extra-neuronal monoamine transporter (EMT) mRNA expression peaked in the secretory phase. The organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2) mRNA expression was exclusively detected in few scattered stromal cells and OCT1 mRNA was not detected at all. Our present results demonstrate that PMAT, EMT, and OCT2 transporters are expressed in the endometrial stroma and can potentially regulate reuptake of monoamines in general and histamine in particular. Taken together with our previous finding of VMAT2 mRNA in epithelial cells, we suggest a paracrine interaction between stromal and epithelial cells, which may modulate certain steps of the reproductive process. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 1303,1311, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Reproductive ecology and the endometrium: Physiology, variation, and new directionsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue S49 2009Kathryn B.H. Clancy Abstract Endometrial function is often overlooked in the study of fertility in reproductive ecology, but it is crucial to implantation and the support of a successful pregnancy. Human female reproductive physiology can handle substantial energy demands that include the production of fecund cycles, ovulation, fertilization, placentation, a 9-month gestation, and often several years of lactation. The particular morphology of the human endometrium as well as our relative copiousness of menstruation and large neonatal size suggests that endometrial function has more resources allocated to it than many other primates. The human endometrium has a particularly invasive kind of hemochorial placentation and trophoblast that maximizes surface area and maternal,fetal contact, yet these processes are actually less efficient than the placentation of some of our primate relatives. The human endometrium and its associated processes appear to prioritize maximizing the transmission of oxygen and glucose to the fetus over efficiency and protection of maternal resources. Ovarian function controls many aspects of endometrial function and thus variation in the endometrium is often a reflection of ecological factors that impact the ovaries. However, preliminary evidence and literature from populations of different reproductive states, ages and pathologies also suggests that ecological stress plays a role in endometrial variation, different from or even independent of ovarian function. Immune stress and psychosocial stress appear to play some role in the endometrium's ability to carry a fetus through the mechanism of inflammation. Thus, within reproductive ecology we should move towards a model of women's fecundity and fertility that includes many components of ecological stress and their effects not only on the ovaries, but on processes related to endometrial function. Greater attention on the endometrium may aid in unraveling several issues in hominoid and specifically human evolutionary biology: a low implantation rate, high rates of early pregnancy loss, prenatal investment in singletons but postnatal support of several dependent offspring at once, and higher rate of reproductive and pregnancy-related pathology compared to other primates, ranging from endometriosis to preeclampsia. The study of the endometrium may also complicate some of these issues, as it raises the question of why humans have a maximally invasive placentation method and yet slow fetal growth rates. In this review, I will describe endometrial physiology, methods of measurement, variation, and some of the ecological variables that likely produce variation and pregnancy losses to demonstrate the necessity of further study. I propose several basic avenues of study that leave room for testable hypotheses in the field of reproductive ecology. And finally, I describe the potential of this work not just in reproductive ecology, but in the resolution of broader women's health issues. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 52:137,154, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Human Uterine NK Cells Interact with Uterine Macrophages via NKG2D upon Stimulation with PAMPsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Satarupa Basu Problem, The initiation of an immune response often involves the cooperation of various innate immune cells. In the human endometrium, uterine natural killer (uNK) cells and uterine macrophages are present in significant numbers and in close proximity, yet how they cooperatively respond to infectious challenge is poorly understood. Method of study, Primary autologous uNK cells and macrophages were co-cultured to determine functional interactions after stimulation with pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Results, After stimulation by polyI:C, human uNK cells interact with autologous uterine macrophages and produce interferon-, in an NKG2D-dependent manner. Stimulated primary uterine macrophages up-regulated the expression of MHC Class I chain-related protein A (MICA), but expression of the cognate receptor NKG2D remained unchanged on uNK cells, even in the presence of cytokines. Conclusion, This study demonstrates that the NKG2D-MICA interaction is an important molecular mechanism that is involved in the innate immune response to microbial signals in the human uterine endometrium. [source] Stimulation of Uterine Cell Cytokine Production By Ovarian HormonesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 1 2000J.A. DELOIA PROBLEM: Although leukocytes do not possess significant numbers of ovarian steroid hormone receptors, their numbers in the endometrium vary consistently, relative to the menstrual cycle. The possibility that cell types within the endometrium express leukocyte-attracting genes in response to ovarian hormones was investigated. METHOD OF STUDY: Endometrial biopsies were collected 10 days post-leutinizing hormone surge; the cell types were separated and cultured individually for 5 days in the presence of increasing amounts of estrogen or progesterone. Following culture, RNA was collected from cells and reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to determine relative levels of gene expression of monocyte chemotactic proteins (MCP)-1, -2, and -3, and interleukin (IL)-12p35 and p40. RESULTS: Although both endometrial stroma and glands were able to make MCP mRNA, steady-state levels of gene expression did not vary significantly relative to hormone treatment. The same was found for the p35 molecule of the IL-12 gene; however, differences were observed for the p40 subunit. CONCLUSIONS: Within the human endometrium, chemokines other than MCP and IL-12 are most likely responsible for cycle-related leukocyte recruitment. [source] The role of activins during decidualisation of human endometriumAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Rebecca L. JONES Decidualisation of the endometrial stroma is critical to create a specialised environment for embryo implantation and trophoblast invasion; however, the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. We have established that activin A is an important regulator of decidualisation of endometrial stromal cells in vitro. Here we describe studies that verify the physiological significance of these findings. We demonstrate that high concentrations of activin A are produced by decidualising cells in excess of the antagonists, inhibin and follistatin, thus confirming its bioavailability within the decidual environment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that all components of the activin signalling pathway (activin receptors and Smads) are expressed in decidualised cells, and identify a downstream mechanism for activin in the endometrium, through the regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This new knowledge is important for understanding the roles for activins and inhibins in regulating fertility. [source] Oxytocin mRNA content in the endometrium of non-pregnant womenBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Margareta Steinwall Objective To study oxytocin mRNA in the human endometrium at different phases of the menstrual cycle. Design An exploratory study in non-pregnant women. Setting The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lund University Hospital, Sweden. Participants Thirty-three women of fertile age undergoing hysterectomy or endometrial curettage on routine benign gynaecologic indications. Methods Endometrial tissue was obtained throughout the menstrual cycle. The presence of oxytocin mRNA was investigated by in situ hybridisation and by real time PCR. Main outcome measures Oxytocin mRNA signalling intensity found by in situ hybridisation of tissue obtained at different times of the menstrual cycle. Relative amounts of oxytocin mRNA measured by real time PCR. Results The signal for oxytocin mRNA obtained by in situ hybridisation was more pronounced in glandular epithelial cells than in stromal cells. Furthermore, it was most marked around mid-cycle. The expression of oxytocin mRNA was confirmed by real time PCR. Conclusions The results indicate that oxytocin may be synthesised in the endometrium of non-pregnant women, particularly in the glandular epithelial cells. Hormone released from these sources may have a paracrine action on the uterus. Oxytocin mRNA expression seems to be ovarian hormone dependent with the highest concentration around mid-cycle. 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