Abstract
In the present investigation the distribution of molecules that are involved in the leukocyte binding was studied in human endometrium. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA-1), and HLA-DR molecules was studied in 13 proliferative and 10 secretory endometria as well as cultures of endometrial glands and stroma by avidin-biotin complex (ABC) procedure using monoclonal antibodies. The ICAM-1 and HLA-DR molecules were both strongly expressed in the lymphoid and endothelial cells. ICAM-1 expression was uniform in the epithelium, whereas the HLA-DR molecules were preferentially expressed in the epithelial cells in the basalis. Expression of both epithelial HLA-DR and ICAM-1 molecules was enhanced adjacent to lymphoid aggregates. ICAM-1 molecule was uniformly expressed in the stromal cells in the basalis and the functionalis, whereas the HLA-DR molecules were expressed exclusively in the stromal cells surrounding the lymphoid cells. ICAM-1 expression in the epithelial and stromal cells was confirmed in the isolated intact stromal cells and glands by immunohistochemistry. Although stromal and epithelial cells propagated in vitro expressed ICAM-1, they were rarely HLA-DR positive. The expression of LFA-1 was confined to the lymphoid cells. The high level of expression of ICAM-1, LFA-1, and HLA-DR molecules in human endometrial constituents may contribute to the presence, aggregation, and preferential distribution of lymphoid cells in human endometrium.
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