Abstract
Integrins are heterodimeric glycoproteins that have been found to undergo dynamic temporal and spatial changes in the endometrium during the menstrual cycle and in early pregnancy. Specificity of integrins is known to be different in human endometrial stromal cells and decidual cells. These shifts of integrins suggested to play an important role in embryo implantation and can be modulated by progesterone, cAMP derivatives, and cytokines. The mechanisms of decidualization and its precise physiological role are still not clearly understood and in vitro systems could provide an alternative that overcomes limitations of studying such complex biological phenomena in vivo at the time of implantation. This study was undertaken to establish an in vitro model system for human decidualization using 8-bromo-cAMP and to investigate the characteristics of stromal integrin expression in vitro by 8-Br-cAMP. Endometrial stromal cells were isolated and cultured, and then were induced to decidualize by 0.5 mM 8-Br-cAMP for 15 days. Immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometric analyses of the integrin subunits (α1, α4, α5, α6, β1 and αvβ3) were performed at day 9. In the presence of 8-Br-cAMP, the staining intensity of αvβ3 was significantly higher than control and measurements for α1, α4, α5, α6, and β1 were similar. Immunofluorescent localization of the integrins reflected the differences obtained from the flow cytometric analyses described above. In summary, the expression of αvβ3 integrin increased in stromal cells in vitro decidualized by 8-Br-cAMP and this up-regulation of αvβ3 integrin expression during decidualization might influence on human implantation.
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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Hwang, J., Park, M., Hwang, Y. et al. The characteristics of integrins expression in decidualized human endometrial stromal cell induced by 8-Br-cAMP in in vitro. Exp Mol Med 34, 194–200 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/emm.2002.28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/emm.2002.28