Abstract
BackgroundWe have previously demonstrated that four members of the family of small leucine-rich-proteoglycans (SLRPs) of the extracellular matrix (ECM), named decorin, biglycan, lumican and fibromodulin, are deeply remodeled in mouse uterine tissues along the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. It is known that the combined action of estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) orchestrates the estrous cycle and prepares the endometrium for pregnancy, modulating synthesis, deposition and degradation of various molecules. Indeed, we showed that versican, another proteoglycan of the ECM, is under hormonal control in the uterine tissues.MethodsE2 and/or medroxiprogesterone acetate (MPA) were used to demonstrate, by real time PCR and immunoperoxidase staining, respectively, their effects on mRNA expression and protein deposition of these SLRPs, in the uterine tissues.ResultsDecorin and lumican were constitutively expressed and deposited in the ECM in the absence of the ovarian hormones, whereas deposition of biglycan and fibromodulin were abolished from the uterine ECM in the non-treated group. Interestingly, ovariectomy promoted an increase in decorin, lumican and fibromodulin mRNA levels, while biglycan mRNA conspicuously decreased. Hormone replacement with E2 and/or MPA differentially modulates their expression and deposition.ConclusionsThe patterns of expression of these SLRPs in the uterine tissues were found to be hormone-dependent and uterine compartment-related. These results reinforce the existence of subpopulations of endometrial fibroblasts, localized into distinct functional uterine compartments, resembling the organization into basal and functional layers of the human endometrium.
Highlights
We have previously demonstrated that four members of the family of small leucine-richproteoglycans (SLRPs) of the extracellular matrix (ECM), named decorin, biglycan, lumican and fibromodulin, are deeply remodeled in mouse uterine tissues along the estrous cycle and early pregnancy
Among the striking effects promoted by ovarian steroid hormone in the uterine tissues, we emphasize the remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules
The immunoreaction was present in the external muscle layer (EML) and connective tissue between layers, but was not observed in the ECM of the internal muscle layer (IML) (Figure 1A)
Summary
We have previously demonstrated that four members of the family of small leucine-richproteoglycans (SLRPs) of the extracellular matrix (ECM), named decorin, biglycan, lumican and fibromodulin, are deeply remodeled in mouse uterine tissues along the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. It is known that the combined action of estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) orchestrates the estrous cycle and prepares the endometrium for pregnancy, modulating synthesis, deposition and degradation of various molecules. We showed that versican, another proteoglycan of the ECM, is under hormonal control in the uterine tissues. The combined action of estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) orchestrates the cycle and prepares the endometrium for pregnancy. On. Among the striking effects promoted by ovarian steroid hormone in the uterine tissues, we emphasize the remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. The ECM is a complex structure of secreted macromolecules, immobilized in the extracellular space, and composed predominantly of collagens, non-collagenous multiadhesive glycoproteins, elastin, hyaluronan and proteoglycans [9]
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