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Raja Xavier JP, Okumura T, Apweiler M, Chacko NA, Singh Y, Brucker SY, Takeda S, Lang F, Salker MS. Placental growth factor mediates pathological uterine angiogenesis by activating the NFAT5-SGK1 signaling axis in the endometrium: implications for preeclampsia development. Biol Res 2024; 57:55. [PMID: 39152497 PMCID: PMC11330076 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-024-00526-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
After menstruation the uterine spiral arteries are repaired through angiogenesis. This process is tightly regulated by the paracrine communication between endometrial stromal cells (EnSCs) and endothelial cells. Any molecular aberration in these processes can lead to complications in pregnancy including miscarriage or preeclampsia (PE). Placental growth factor (PlGF) is a known contributing factor for pathological angiogenesis but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated whether PlGF contributes to pathological uterine angiogenesis by disrupting EnSCs and endothelial paracrine communication. We observed that PlGF mediates a tonicity-independent activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) in EnSCs. NFAT5 activated downstream targets including SGK1, HIF-1α and VEGF-A. In depth characterization of PlGF - conditioned medium (CM) from EnSCs using mass spectrometry and ELISA methods revealed low VEGF-A and an abundance of extracellular matrix organization associated proteins. Secreted factors in PlGF-CM impeded normal angiogenic cues in endothelial cells (HUVECs) by downregulating Notch-VEGF signaling. Interestingly, PlGF-CM failed to support human placental (BeWo) cell invasion through HUVEC monolayer. Inhibition of SGK1 in EnSCs improved angiogenic effects in HUVECs and promoted BeWo invasion, revealing SGK1 as a key intermediate player modulating PlGF mediated anti-angiogenic signaling. Taken together, perturbed PlGF-NFAT5-SGK1 signaling in the endometrium can contribute to pathological uterine angiogenesis by negatively regulating EnSCs-endothelial crosstalk resulting in poor quality vessels in the uterine microenvironment. Taken together the signaling may impact on normal trophoblast invasion and thus placentation and, may be associated with an increased risk of complications such as PE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet P Raja Xavier
- Department of Women's Health, University of Tübingen, 72076, Calwerstraße 7/6, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Toshiyuki Okumura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Melina Apweiler
- Department of Women's Health, University of Tübingen, 72076, Calwerstraße 7/6, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nirzari A Chacko
- Department of Women's Health, University of Tübingen, 72076, Calwerstraße 7/6, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yogesh Singh
- Department of Women's Health, University of Tübingen, 72076, Calwerstraße 7/6, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sara Y Brucker
- Department of Women's Health, University of Tübingen, 72076, Calwerstraße 7/6, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Satoru Takeda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Florian Lang
- Department of Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Madhuri S Salker
- Department of Women's Health, University of Tübingen, 72076, Calwerstraße 7/6, Tübingen, Germany.
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2
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Liu Y, Sun Y, Cheng S. Advances in the use of organoids in endometrial diseases. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2024; 166:502-511. [PMID: 38391201 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.15422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The endometrium undergoes cyclical changes in response to hormones and there is a certain degree of heterogeneity among individuals. In vivo identification of the physiologic changes of the endometrium and the pathologic process of related diseases is challenging. There have been recent advances in the use of organoids that mimic the characteristics of the corresponding organs and the morphologic, functional, and personalized characteristics involved in different stages of diseases. In this paper, we discuss the process of creating endometrial organoids, cell sources, types of extracellular matrices, and their application in the study of physiologic endometrial states and various diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaofang Liu
- Department of Reproductive Technology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yue Sun
- Department of Reproductive Technology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Shaolong Cheng
- Department of Reproductive Technology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
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3
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Giangrazi F, Buffa D, Lloyd AT, Redmond AK, Glover LE, O'Farrelly C. Evolutionary Analysis of the Mammalian IL-17 Cytokine Family Suggests Conserved Roles in Female Fertility. Am J Reprod Immunol 2024; 92:e13907. [PMID: 39177066 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM The interleukin-17 (IL-17) family includes pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17A-F with important roles in mucosal defence, barrier integrity and tissue regeneration. IL-17A can be dysregulated in fertility complications, including pre-eclampsia, endometriosis and miscarriage. Because mammalian subclasses (eutherian, metatherian, and prototherian) have different related reproductive strategies, IL-17 genes and proteins were investigated in the three mammalian classes to explore their involvement in female fertility. METHOD OF STUDY Gene and protein sequences for IL-17s are found in eutherian, metatherian and prototherian mammals. Through synteny and multiple sequence protein alignment, the relationships among mammalian IL-17s were inferred. Publicly available datasets of early pregnancy stages and female fertility in therian mammals were collected and analysed to retrieve information on IL-17 expression. RESULTS Synteny mapping and phylogenetic analyses allowed the classification of mammalian IL-17 family orthologs of human IL-17. Despite differences in their primary amino acid sequence, metatherian and prototherian IL-17s share the same tertiary structure as human IL-17s, suggesting similar functions. The analysis of available datasets for female fertility in therian mammals shows up-regulation of IL-17A and IL-17D during placentation. IL-17B and IL-17D are also found to be over-expressed in human fertility complication datasets, such as endometriosis or recurrent implantation failure. CONCLUSIONS The conservation of the IL-17 gene and protein across mammals suggests similar functions in all the analysed species. Despite significant differences, the upregulation of IL-17 expression is associated with the establishment of pregnancy in eutherian and metatherian mammals. The dysregulation of IL-17s in human reproductive disorders suggests them as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Giangrazi
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dafne Buffa
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
| | - Andrew T Lloyd
- Department of Science and Health, Institute of Technology, Carlow, Ireland
| | | | - Louise E Glover
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Merrion Fertility Clinic, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Cliona O'Farrelly
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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4
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Diaz-Gimeno P, Sebastian-Leon P, Spath K, Marti-Garcia D, Sanchez-Reyes JM, Vidal MDC, Devesa-Peiro A, Sanchez-Ribas I, Martinez-Martinez A, Pellicer N, Wells D, Pellicer A. Predicting risk of endometrial failure: a biomarker signature that identifies a novel disruption independent of endometrial timing in patients undergoing hormonal replacement cycles. Fertil Steril 2024; 122:352-364. [PMID: 38518993 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To propose a new gene expression signature that identifies endometrial disruptions independent of endometrial luteal phase timing and predicts if patients are at risk of endometrial failure. DESIGN Multicentric, prospective study. SETTING Reproductive medicine research department in a public hospital affiliated with private fertility clinics and a reproductive genetics laboratory. PATIENTS Caucasian women (n = 281; 39.4 ± 4.8 years old with a body mass index of 22.9 ± 3.5 kg/m2) undergoing hormone replacement therapy between July 2018 and July 2021. Endometrial samples from 217 patients met RNA quality criteria for signature discovery and analysis. INTERVENTION(S) Endometrial biopsies collected in the mid-secretory phase. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Endometrial luteal phase timing-corrected expression of 404 genes and reproductive outcomes of the first single embryo transfer (SET) after biopsy collection to identify prognostic biomarkers of endometrial failure. RESULTS Removal of endometrial timing variation from gene expression data allowed patients to be stratified into poor (n = 137) or good (n = 49) endometrial prognosis groups on the basis of their clinical and transcriptomic profiles. Significant differences were found between endometrial prognosis groups in terms of reproductive rates: pregnancy (44.6% vs. 79.6%), live birth (25.6% vs. 77.6%), clinical miscarriage (22.2% vs. 2.6%), and biochemical miscarriage (20.4% vs. 0%). The relative risk of endometrial failure for patients predicted as a poor endometrial prognosis was 3.3 times higher than those with a good prognosis. The differences in gene expression between both profiles were proposed as a biomarker, coined the endometrial failure risk (EFR) signature. Poor prognosis profiles were characterized by 59 upregulated and 63 downregulated genes mainly involved in regulation (17.0%), metabolism (8.4%), immune response, and inflammation (7.8%). This EFR signature had a median accuracy of 0.92 (min = 0.88, max = 0.94), median sensitivity of 0.96 (min = 0.91, max = 0.98), and median specificity of 0.84 (min = 0.77, max = 0.88), positioning itself as a promising biomarker for endometrial evaluation. CONCLUSION(S) The EFR signature revealed a novel endometrial disruption, independent of endometrial luteal phase timing, present in 73.7% of patients. This EFR signature stratified patients into 2 significantly distinct and clinically relevant prognosis profiles providing opportunities for personalized therapy. Nevertheless, further validations are needed before implementing this gene signature as an artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool to reduce the risk of patients experiencing endometrial failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Diaz-Gimeno
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain.
| | - Patricia Sebastian-Leon
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Diana Marti-Garcia
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
| | - Josefa Maria Sanchez-Reyes
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Del Carmen Vidal
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain; Reproductive Medicine Center, IVI RMA Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Almudena Devesa-Peiro
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Immaculada Sanchez-Ribas
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain; Reproductive Medicine Center, IVI RMA Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Asunta Martinez-Martinez
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
| | - Nuria Pellicer
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain; Reproductive Medicine Center, IVI RMA Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Dagan Wells
- JUNO Genetics, Winchester House, Oxford, United Kingdom; Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Women's Centre John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Antonio Pellicer
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain; JUNO Genetics, Winchester House, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Reproductive Medicine Center, IVI RMA Rome, Largo Il de brando Pizzetti, Roma, Italy
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5
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Bui BN, Kukushkina V, Meltsov A, Olsen C, van Hoogenhuijze N, Altmäe S, Mol F, Teklenburg G, de Bruin J, Besselink D, Stevens Brentjens L, Obukhova D, Zamani Esteki M, van Golde R, Romano A, Laisk T, Steba G, Mackens S, Salumets A, Broekmans F. The endometrial transcriptome of infertile women with and without implantation failure. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2024; 103:1348-1365. [PMID: 38520066 PMCID: PMC11168281 DOI: 10.1111/aogs.14822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Implantation failure after transferring morphologically "good-quality" embryos in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) may be explained by impaired endometrial receptivity. Analyzing the endometrial transcriptome analysis may reveal the underlying processes and could help in guiding prognosis and using targeted interventions for infertility. This exploratory study investigated whether the endometrial transcriptome profile was associated with short-term or long-term implantation outcomes (ie success or failure). MATERIAL AND METHODS Mid-luteal phase endometrial biopsies of 107 infertile women with one full failed IVF/ICSI cycle, obtained within an endometrial scratching trial, were subjected to RNA-sequencing and differentially expressed genes analysis with covariate adjustment (age, body mass index, luteinizing hormone [LH]-day). Endometrial transcriptomes were compared between implantation failure and success groups in the short term (after the second fresh IVF/ICSI cycle) and long term (including all fresh and frozen cycles within 12 months). The short-term analysis included 85/107 women (33 ongoing pregnancy vs 52 no pregnancy), excluding 22/107 women. The long-term analysis included 46/107 women (23 'fertile' group, ie infertile women with a live birth after ≤3 embryos transferred vs 23 recurrent implantation failure group, ie no live birth after ≥3 good quality embryos transferred), excluding 61/107 women not fitting these categories. As both analyses drew from the same pool of 107 samples, there was some sample overlap. Additionally, cell type enrichment scores and endometrial receptivity were analyzed, and an endometrial development pseudo-timeline was constructed to estimate transcriptomic deviations from the optimum receptivity day (LH + 7), denoted as ΔWOI (window of implantation). RESULTS There were no significantly differentially expressed genes between implantation failure and success groups in either the short-term or long-term analyses. Principal component analysis initially showed two clusters in the long-term analysis, unrelated to clinical phenotype and no longer distinct following covariate adjustment. Cell type enrichment scores did not differ significantly between groups in both analyses. However, endometrial receptivity analysis demonstrated a potentially significant displacement of the WOI in the non-pregnant group compared with the ongoing pregnant group in the short-term analysis. CONCLUSIONS No distinct endometrial transcriptome profile was associated with either implantation failure or success in infertile women. However, there may be differences in the extent to which the WOI is displaced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bich Ngoc Bui
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive MedicineUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | - Alvin Meltsov
- Competence Center on Health TechnologiesTartuEstonia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, GROW, School for Oncology and ReproductionMaastricht University Medical CenterMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Catharina Olsen
- Center for Medical Genetics, Research Group Reproduction and GeneticsVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
- Brussels Interuniversity Genomics High Throughput Core (BRIGHTcore)VUB‐ULBBrusselsBelgium
- Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels (IB)BrusselsBelgium
| | - Nienke van Hoogenhuijze
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive MedicineUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Signe Altmäe
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of SciencesUniversity of GranadaGranadaSpain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, ibs.GRANADAGranadaSpain
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC)Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University HospitalStockholmSweden
| | - Femke Mol
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam University Medical CenterUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Jan‐Peter de Bruin
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyJeroen Bosch Hospital‘s‐HertogenboschThe Netherlands
| | - Dagmar Besselink
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyRadboud University Medical CenterNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Linda Stevens Brentjens
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, GROW, School for Oncology and ReproductionMaastricht University Medical CenterMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Darina Obukhova
- Department of Clinical GeneticsMaastricht University Medical CenterMaastrichtThe Netherlands
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and ReproductionMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Masoud Zamani Esteki
- Department of Clinical GeneticsMaastricht University Medical CenterMaastrichtThe Netherlands
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and ReproductionMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Ron van Golde
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, GROW, School for Oncology and ReproductionMaastricht University Medical CenterMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Andrea Romano
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, GROW, School for Oncology and ReproductionMaastricht University Medical CenterMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Triin Laisk
- Estonian Genome Center, Institute of GenomicsUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
| | - Gaby Steba
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive MedicineUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Shari Mackens
- Brussels IVFUniversitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
| | - Andres Salumets
- Competence Center on Health TechnologiesTartuEstonia
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC)Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University HospitalStockholmSweden
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
| | - Frank Broekmans
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive MedicineUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
- Center for Infertility Care, Dijklander HospitalPurmerendThe Netherlands
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Goudarzi ST, Vousooghi N, Verdi J, Mehdizadeh A, Aslanian-Kalkhoran L, Yousefi M. Autophagy genes and signaling pathways in endometrial decidualization and pregnancy complications. J Reprod Immunol 2024; 163:104223. [PMID: 38489930 DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2024.104223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Autophagy is a process that occurs in almost all eukaryotic cells and this process is controlled by several molecular processes. Its biological roles include the provision of energy, the maintenance of cell homeostasis, and the promotion of aberrant cell death. The importance of autophagy in pregnancy is gradually becoming recognized. In literature, it has been indicated that autophagy has three different effects on the onset and maintenance of pregnancy: embryo (embryonic development), feto-maternal immune crosstalk, and maternal (decidualization). In humans, proper decidualization is a major predictor of pregnancy accomplishment and it can be influenced by different factors. This review highlights the genes, pathways, regulation, and function of autophagy in endometrial decidualization and other involved factors in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeedeh Torabi Goudarzi
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasim Vousooghi
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Verdi
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Mehdizadeh
- Hematology and Oncology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Lida Aslanian-Kalkhoran
- Department of Immunology, school of medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Yousefi
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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7
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Rokhsartalab Azar P, Maleki Aghdam M, Karimi S, Haghtalab A, Sadeghpour S, Mellatyar H, Taheri-Anganeh M, Ghasemnejad-Berenji H. Uterine fluid microRNAs in repeated implantation failure. Clin Chim Acta 2024; 558:119678. [PMID: 38641194 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2024.119678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is a significant obstacle in assisted reproductive procedures, primarily because of compromised receptivity. As such, there is a need for a dependable and accurate clinical test to evaluate endometrial receptiveness, particularly during embryo transfer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have diverse functions in the processes of implantation and pregnancy. Dysregulation of miRNAs results in reproductive diseases such as recurrent implantation failure (RIF). The endometrium secretes several microRNAs (miRNAs) during the implantation period, which could potentially indicate whether the endometrium is suitable for in vitro fertilization (IVF). The goal of this review is to examine endometrial miRNAs as noninvasive biomarkers that successfully predict endometrium receptivity in RIF.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahdi Maleki Aghdam
- Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Sarmad Karimi
- Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Arian Haghtalab
- School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Sonia Sadeghpour
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran; Reproductive Health Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | | | - Mortaza Taheri-Anganeh
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
| | - Hojat Ghasemnejad-Berenji
- Reproductive Health Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
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8
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Apostolov A, Naydenov M, Kalinina A, Nikolova M, Saare M, Aleksejeva E, Milova N, Milov A, Salumets A, Baev V, Yahubyan G. Endometrial Proliferative Phase-Centered View of Transcriptome Dynamics across the Menstrual Cycle. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5320. [PMID: 38791358 PMCID: PMC11121472 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The endometrium, the inner mucosal lining of the uterus, undergoes complex molecular and cellular changes across the menstrual cycle in preparation for embryo implantation. Transcriptome-wide analyses have mainly been utilized to study endometrial receptivity, the prerequisite for successful implantation, with most studies, so far, comparing the endometrial transcriptomes between (i) secretory and proliferative endometrium or (ii) mid-secretory and early secretory endometrium. In the current study, we provide a complete transcriptome description of the endometrium across the entire menstrual cycle and, for the first time, comprehensively characterize the proliferative phase of the endometrium. Our temporal transcriptome analysis includes five time points including the mid-proliferative, late proliferative (peri-ovulatory phase), early secretory, mid-secretory, and late secretory phases. Thus, we unveil exhaustively the transitions between the consecutive proliferative and secretory phases, highlighting their unique gene expression profiles and possible distinct biological functions. The transcriptome analysis reveals many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across the menstrual cycle, most of which are phase-specific. As an example of coordinated gene activity, the expression profile of histone-encoding genes within the HIST cluster on chromosome 6 shows an increase in cluster activity during the late proliferative and a decline during the mid-secretory phase. Moreover, numerous DEGs are shared among all phases. In conclusion, in the current study, we delineate the endometrial proliferative phase-centered view of transcriptome dynamics across the menstrual cycle. Our data analysis highlights significant transcriptomic and functional changes occurring during the late proliferative phase-an essential transition point from the proliferative phase to the secretory phase. Future studies should explore how the biology of the late proliferative phase endometrium impacts the achievement of mid-secretory endometrial receptivity or contributes to molecular aberrations leading to embryo implantation failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apostol Apostolov
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (A.A.); (M.S.); (E.A.); (A.S.)
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institute, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mladen Naydenov
- Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
| | | | - Maria Nikolova
- Center for Women’s Health, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (M.N.); (N.M.); (A.M.)
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
| | - Merli Saare
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (A.A.); (M.S.); (E.A.); (A.S.)
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Elina Aleksejeva
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (A.A.); (M.S.); (E.A.); (A.S.)
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Nadezhda Milova
- Center for Women’s Health, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (M.N.); (N.M.); (A.M.)
| | - Antoan Milov
- Center for Women’s Health, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (M.N.); (N.M.); (A.M.)
| | - Andres Salumets
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (A.A.); (M.S.); (E.A.); (A.S.)
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institute, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Vesselin Baev
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
| | - Galina Yahubyan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
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Darabi N, Mashayekhy M, Borjian Boroujeni P, Mohtasebi P, Rokhsat Talab Z, Zamanian MR. APOE-E4 allele as a potential marker for implantation failure: A comparison between fertile women, ART success and RIF patients. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2024. [PMID: 38619378 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.15537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the most important precursor for the production of steroid hormones and is also involved in regulating the function of steroid hormones, hence playing a significant role in reproductive processes. So, APOE gene expression may be correlated with the implantation process. This study tries to make a better clarification of the correlation between APOE gene polymorphisms and recurrent implantation failure (RIF), where we compared the frequency of APOE polymorphisms in RIF patients, assisted reproductive treatment (ART) success cases and fertile women. METHOD In all, 100 women with successful ART who got pregnant (fetal heart rate positive) in their first or second cycle of in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, 100 infertile RIF cases, and 100 normal fertile control cases with at least one live birth were included in present study. Following DNA extraction, genotypes were determined through polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method using HhaI restriction enzyme. Finally, statistical analysis was performed by chi-squared (χ2) test in SPSS software (P < 0.05). RESULTS The RIF group showed significantly higher frequency for E3/E4 genotype (29%) compared with the other two control groups (fertile = 15%, ART success [ART+] = 13%) (P = 0.007). There was also a significantly higher frequency of the E4 allele in the RIF group (14.5%) compared with both of the control groups (fertile = 7.5%, ART+ = 6.5%) (P = 0.018). CONCLUSION APOE4 is correlated with recurrent failure in the process of embryo implantation and, accordingly, it may potentially be considered a possible risk factor to the implantation process. The presence of E4 can be proposed as a predictive indicator in determining the results of assisted reproductive techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazanin Darabi
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology-Genetics, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Technologies in Biology, University of Science and Culture, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehri Mashayekhy
- Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parnaz Borjian Boroujeni
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parinaz Mohtasebi
- Department of Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, USA
| | - Zeinab Rokhsat Talab
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Zamanian
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
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10
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Doi-Tanaka Y, Tamura I, Shiroshita A, Fujimura T, Shirafuta Y, Maekawa R, Taketani T, Sato S, Sugino N. Differential gene expression in decidualized human endometrial stromal cells induced by different stimuli. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7726. [PMID: 38565619 PMCID: PMC10987566 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58065-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Decidualization can be induced by culturing human endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) with several decidualization stimuli, such as cAMP, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) or Estradiol (E2). However, it has been unclear how decidualized cells induced by different stimuli are different. We compared transcriptomes and cellular functions of decidualized ESCs induced by different stimuli (MPA, E2 + MPA, cAMP, and cAMP + MPA). We also investigated which decidualization stimulus induces a closer in vivo decidualization. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and altered cellular functions by each decidualization stimuli were identified by RNA-sequence and gene-ontology analysis. DEGs was about two times higher for stimuli that use cAMP (cAMP and cAMP + MPA) than for stimuli that did not use cAMP (MPA and E2 + MPA). cAMP-using stimuli altered the cellular functions including angiogenesis, inflammation, immune system, and embryo implantation whereas MPA-using stimuli (MPA, E2 + MPA, and cAMP + MPA) altered the cellular functions associated with insulin signaling. A public single-cell RNA-sequence data of the human endometrium was utilized to analyze in vivo decidualization. The altered cellular functions by in vivo decidualization were close to those observed by cAMP + MPA-induced decidualization. In conclusion, decidualized cells induced by different stimuli have different transcriptome and cellular functions. cAMP + MPA may induce a decidualization most closely to in vivo decidualization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumiko Doi-Tanaka
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
| | - Isao Tamura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan.
| | - Amon Shiroshita
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
| | - Taishi Fujimura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Shirafuta
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
| | - Ryo Maekawa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Taketani
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
| | - Shun Sato
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
| | - Norihiro Sugino
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube, 755-8505, Japan
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11
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Kurt I, Kulhan M, AlAshqar A, Borahay MA. Uterine Collagen Cross-Linking: Biology, Role in Disorders, and Therapeutic Implications. Reprod Sci 2024; 31:645-660. [PMID: 37907804 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01386-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Collagen is an essential constituent of the uterine extracellular matrix that provides biomechanical strength, resilience, structural integrity, and the tensile properties necessary for the normal functioning of the uterus. Cross-linking is a fundamental step in collagen biosynthesis and is critical for its normal biophysical properties. This step occurs enzymatically via lysyl oxidase (LOX) or non-enzymatically with the production of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Cross-links found in uterine tissue include the reducible dehydro-dihydroxylysinonorleucine (deH-DHLNL), dehydro-hydroxylysinonorleucine (deH-HLNL), and histidinohydroxymerodesmosine (HHMD); and the non-reducible pyridinoline (PYD), deoxy-pyridinoline (DPD); and a trace of pentosidine (PEN). Collagen cross-links are instrumental for uterine tissue integrity and the continuation of a healthy pregnancy. Decreased cervical cross-link density is observed in preterm birth, whereas increased tissue stiffness caused by increased cross-link density is a pathogenic feature of uterine fibroids. AGEs disrupt embryo development, decidualization, implantation, and trophoblast invasion. Uterine collagen cross-linking regulators include steroid hormones, such as progesterone and estrogen, prostaglandins, proteoglycans, metalloproteinases, lysyl oxidases, nitric oxide, nicotine, and vitamin D. Thus, uterine collagen cross-linking presents an opportunity to design therapeutic targets and warrants further investigation in common uterine disorders, such as uterine fibroids, cervical insufficiency, preterm birth, dystocia, endometriosis, and adenomyosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irem Kurt
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine, 42000, Konya, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Kulhan
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine, 42000, Konya, Turkey
| | - Abdelrahman AlAshqar
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Mostafa A Borahay
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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12
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Liu H, Franken A, Bielfeld AP, Fehm T, Niederacher D, Cheng Z, Neubauer H, Stamm N. Progesterone-induced progesterone receptor membrane component 1 rise-to-decline changes are essential for decidualization. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2024; 22:20. [PMID: 38308254 PMCID: PMC10837943 DOI: 10.1186/s12958-024-01188-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Decidualization of endometrial cells is the prerequisite for embryo implantation and subsequent placenta formation and is induced by rising progesterone levels following ovulation. One of the hormone receptors contributing to endometrial homeostasis is Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component 1 (PGRMC1), a non-classical membrane-bound progesterone receptor with yet unclear function. In this study, we aimed to investigate how PGRMC1 contributes to human decidualization. METHODS We first analyzed PGRMC1 expression profile during a regular menstrual cycle in RNA-sequencing datasets. To further explore the function of PGRMC1 in human decidualization, we implemented an inducible decidualization system, which is achieved by culturing two human endometrial stromal cell lines in decidualization-inducing medium containing medroxyprogesterone acetate and 8-Br-cAMP. In our system, we measured PGRMC1 expression during hormone induction as well as decidualization status upon PGRMC1 knockdown at different time points. We further conferred proximity ligation assay to identify PGRMC1 interaction partners. RESULTS In a regular menstrual cycle, PGRMC1 mRNA expression is gradually decreased from the proliferative phase to the secretory phase. In in vitro experiments, we observed that PGRMC1 expression follows a rise-to-decline pattern, in which its expression level initially increased during the first 6 days after induction (PGRMC1 increasing phase) and decreased in the following days (PGRMC1 decreasing phase). Knockdown of PGRMC1 expression before the induction led to a failed decidualization, while its knockdown after induction did not inhibit decidualization, suggesting that the progestin-induced 'PGRMC1 increasing phase' is essential for normal decidualization. Furthermore, we found that the interactions of prohibitin 1 and prohibitin 2 with PGRMC1 were induced upon progestin treatment. Knocking down each of the prohibitins slowed down the decidualization process compared to the control, suggesting that PGRMC1 cooperates with prohibitins to regulate decidualization. CONCLUSIONS According to our findings, PGRMC1 expression followed a progestin-induced rise-to-decline expression pattern during human endometrial decidualization process; and the correct execution of this expression program was crucial for successful decidualization. Thereby, the results of our in vitro model explained how PGRMC1 dysregulation during decidualization may present a new perspective on infertility-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailun Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Life Science Center, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - André Franken
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Life Science Center, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Alexandra P Bielfeld
- Department of OB/GYN & REI, UniKiD, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Tanja Fehm
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Life Science Center, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Niederacher
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Life Science Center, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Zhongping Cheng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072, China
- Institute of Gynecological Minimally Invasive Medicine, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072, China
| | - Hans Neubauer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Life Science Center, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
| | - Nadia Stamm
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Life Science Center, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
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13
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Cook CJ, Wiggin N, Fogg KC. Characterizing the Extracellular Matrix Transcriptome of Endometriosis. Reprod Sci 2024; 31:413-429. [PMID: 37789126 PMCID: PMC10827821 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01359-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the matrisome, a set of proteins that make up the extracellular matrix (ECM) or are closely involved in ECM behavior, has been shown to have great importance for characterizing and understanding disease pathogenesis and progression. The matrisome is especially critical for examining diseases characterized by extensive tissue remodeling. Endometriosis is characterized by the extrauterine growth of endometrial tissue, making it an ideal condition to study through the lens of matrisome gene expression. While large gene expression datasets have become more available and gene dysregulation in endometriosis has been the target of several studies, the gene expression profile of the matrisome specifically in endometriosis has not been well characterized. In our study, we explored four Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) DNA microarray datasets containing eutopic endometrium of people with and without endometriosis. After batch correction, menstrual cycle phase accounted for 53% of variance and disease accounted for 23%; thus, the data were separated by menstrual cycle phase before performing differential expression analysis, statistical and machine learning modeling, and enrichment analysis. We established that matrisome gene expression alone can effectively differentiate endometriosis samples from healthy ones, demonstrating the potential of matrisome gene expression for diagnostic applications. Furthermore, we identified specific matrisome genes and gene networks whose expression can distinguish endometriosis stages I/II from III/IV. Taken together, these findings may aid in developing future in vitro models of disease, offer insights into novel treatment strategies, and advance diagnostic tools for this underserved patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carson J Cook
- Bioengineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Noah Wiggin
- Computer Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Kaitlin C Fogg
- Bioengineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
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14
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Zhang WB, Li J, Li Q, Lu X, Chen JL, Li L, Chen H, Fu W, Chen JC, Lu BJ, Wu H, Sun XX. Endometrial transcriptome profiling of patients with recurrent implantation failure during hormone replacement therapy cycles. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1292723. [PMID: 38352249 PMCID: PMC10863671 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1292723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The molecular mechanisms underlying window of implantation (WOI) displacement in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) remain unclear. This study aims to explore the transcriptomic signatures of endometrium with normal and displaced WOIs and to identify the causes of endometrial receptivity (ER) abnormalities and WOI displacement in RIF patients. Methods In this study, 40 RIF patients were recruited and underwent personalized embryo transfer (pET) guided by the predicted results of endometrial receptivity diagnosis (ERD) model. Transcriptome analysis of endometrium from patients with clinical pregnancies after pET was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with WOI displacement. Gene expression data from HRT and natural cycle endometrium were compared to identify specific gene expression patterns of ER-related genes during WOI. Results The ERD results indicated that 67.5% of RIF patients (27/40) were non-receptive in the conventional WOI (P+5) of the HRT cycle. The clinical pregnancy rate in RIF patients improved to 65% (26/40) after ERD-guided pET, indicating the effectiveness of transcriptome-based WOI prediction. Among the 26 patients with clinical pregnancy, the gene expression profiles of P+5 endometrium from advanced (n=6), normal (n=10) and delayed (n=10) WOI groups were significantly different from each other. Furthermore, 10 DEGs identified among P+5 endometrium of 3 groups were involved in immunomodulation, transmembrane transport and tissue regeneration, which could accurately classify the endometrium with different WOIs. Additionally, a large number of ER-related genes showed significant correlation and similar gene expression patterns in P+3, P+5, and P+7 endometrium from HRT cycles and LH+5, LH+7, and LH+9 endometrium from natural cycles. Conclusion Our study shows that ER-related genes share similar gene expression patterns during WOI in both natural and HRT cycles, and their aberrant expression is associated with WOI displacements. The improvement of pregnancy outcomes in RIF patients by adjusting ET timing according to ERD results demonstrates the importance of transcriptome-based endometrial receptivity assessment and the clinical efficiency of ERD model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-bi Zhang
- Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and In vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jue Li
- Unimed Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Qing Li
- Unimed Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Xiang Lu
- Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and In vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun-ling Chen
- Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and In vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Li
- Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and In vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua Chen
- Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and In vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Fu
- Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and In vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Bing-jie Lu
- Unimed Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Han Wu
- Unimed Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-xi Sun
- Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and In vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine-Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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15
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Beddows I, Fan H, Heinze K, Johnson BK, Leonova A, Senz J, Djirackor S, Cho KR, Pearce CL, Huntsman DG, Anglesio MS, Shen H. Cell State of Origin Impacts Development of Distinct Endometriosis-Related Ovarian Carcinoma Histotypes. Cancer Res 2024; 84:26-38. [PMID: 37874327 PMCID: PMC10758692 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCOC) and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma (ENOC) are ovarian carcinoma histotypes, which are both thought to arise from ectopic endometrial (or endometrial-like) cells through an endometriosis intermediate. How the same cell type of origin gives rise to two morphologically and biologically different histotypes has been perplexing, particularly given that recurrent genetic mutations are common to both and present in nonmalignant precursors. We used RNA transcription analysis to show that the expression profiles of CCOC and ENOC resemble those of normal endometrium at secretory and proliferative phases of the menstrual cycle, respectively. DNA methylation at the promoter of the estrogen receptor (ER) gene (ESR1) was enriched in CCOC, which could potentially lock the cells in the secretory state. Compared with normal secretory-type endometrium, CCOC was further defined by increased expression of cysteine and glutathione synthesis pathway genes and downregulation of the iron antiporter, suggesting iron addiction and highlighting ferroptosis as a potential therapeutic target. Overall, these findings suggest that while CCOC and ENOC arise from the same cell type, these histotypes likely originate from different cell states. This "cell state of origin" model may help to explain the presence of histologic and molecular cancer subtypes arising in other organs. SIGNIFICANCE Two cancer histotypes diverge from a common cell of origin epigenetically locked in different cell states, highlighting the importance of considering cell state to better understand the cell of origin of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Beddows
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Huihui Fan
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Karolin Heinze
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Anna Leonova
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Janine Senz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Kathleen R. Cho
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Celeste Leigh Pearce
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - David G. Huntsman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael S. Anglesio
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hui Shen
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
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16
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Schalich KM, Koganti PP, Castillo JM, Reiff OM, Cheong SH, Selvaraj V. The uterine secretory cycle: recurring physiology of endometrial outputs that setup the uterine luminal microenvironment. Physiol Genomics 2024; 56:74-97. [PMID: 37694291 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00035.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Conserved in female reproduction across all mammalian species is the estrous cycle and its regulation by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, a collective of intersected hormonal events that are crucial for ensuring uterine fertility. Nonetheless, knowledge of the direct mediators that synchronously shape the uterine microenvironment for successive yet distinct events, such as the transit of sperm and support for progressive stages of preimplantation embryo development, remain principally deficient. Toward understanding the timed endometrial outputs that permit luminal events as directed by the estrous cycle, we used Bovidae as a model system to uniquely surface sample and study temporal shifts to in vivo endometrial transcripts that encode for proteins destined to be secreted. The results revealed the full quantitative profile of endometrial components that shape the uterine luminal microenvironment at distinct phases of the estrous cycle (estrus, metestrus, diestrus, and proestrus). In interpreting this comprehensive log of stage-specific endometrial secretions, we define the "uterine secretory cycle" and extract a predictive understanding of recurring physiological actions regulated within the uterine lumen in anticipation of sperm and preimplantation embryonic stages. This repetitive microenvironmental preparedness to sequentially provide operative support was a stable intrinsic framework, with only limited responses to sperm or embryos if encountered in the lumen within the cyclic time period. In uncovering the secretory cycle and unraveling realistic biological processes, we present novel foundational knowledge of terminal effectors controlled by the HPG axis to direct a recurring sequence of vital functions within the uterine lumen.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study unravels the recurring sequence of changes within the uterus that supports vital functions (sperm transit and development of preimplantation embryonic stages) during the reproductive cycle in female Ruminantia. These data present new systems knowledge in uterine reproductive physiology crucial for setting up in vitro biomimicry and artificial environments for assisted reproduction technologies for a range of mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasey M Schalich
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
| | - Prasanthi P Koganti
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
| | - Juan M Castillo
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Veterinary College, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
| | - Olivia M Reiff
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
| | - Soon Hon Cheong
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Veterinary College, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
| | - Vimal Selvaraj
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
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17
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Vrljicak P, Lucas ES, Tryfonos M, Muter J, Ott S, Brosens JJ. Dynamic chromatin remodeling in cycling human endometrium at single-cell level. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113525. [PMID: 38060448 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogen-dependent proliferation followed by progesterone-dependent differentiation of the endometrium culminates in a short implantation window. We performed single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing on endometrial samples obtained across the menstrual cycle to investigate the regulation of temporal gene networks that control embryo implantation. We identify uniquely accessible chromatin regions in all major cellular constituents of the endometrium, delineate temporal patterns of coordinated chromatin remodeling in epithelial and stromal cells, and gain mechanistic insights into the emergence of a receptive state through integrated analysis of enriched transcription factor (TF) binding sites in dynamic chromatin regions, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analyses, and gene expression data. We demonstrate that the implantation window coincides with pervasive cooption of transposable elements (TEs) into the regulatory chromatin landscape of decidualizing cells and expression of TE-derived transcripts in a spatially defined manner. Our data constitute a comprehensive map of the chromatin changes that control TF activities in a cycling endometrium at cellular resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavle Vrljicak
- Warwick Medical School, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research (SBIDER), University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Emma S Lucas
- Warwick Medical School, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK
| | - Maria Tryfonos
- Warwick Medical School, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK
| | - Joanne Muter
- Warwick Medical School, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK
| | - Sascha Ott
- Warwick Medical School, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research (SBIDER), University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Jan J Brosens
- Warwick Medical School, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK.
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18
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Domingo J, Kutsyr-Kolesnyk O, Leon T, Perez-Moraga R, Ayala G, Roson B. A cell abundance analysis based on efficient PAM clustering for a better understanding of the dynamics of endometrial remodelling. BMC Bioinformatics 2023; 24:440. [PMID: 37990148 PMCID: PMC10664584 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05569-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a powerful tool for investigating cell abundance changes during tissue regeneration and remodeling processes. Differential cell abundance supports the initial clustering of all cells; then, the number of cells per cluster and sample are evaluated, and the dependence of these counts concerning the phenotypic covariates of the samples is studied. Analysis heavily depends on the clustering method. Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM or k-medoids) represents a well-established clustering procedure that leverages the downstream interpretation of clusters by pinpointing real individuals in the dataset as cluster centers (medoids) without reducing dimensions. Of note, PAM suffers from high computational costs and memory requirements. RESULTS This paper proposes a method for differential abundance analysis using PAM as a clustering method and negative binomial regression as a statistical model to relate covariates to cluster/cell counts. We used this approach to study the differential cell abundance of human endometrial cell types throughout the natural secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. We developed a new R package -scellpam-, that incorporates an efficient parallel C++ implementation of PAM, and applied this package in this study. We compared the PAM-BS clustering method with other methods and evaluated both the computational aspects of its implementation and the quality of the classifications obtained using distinct published datasets with known subpopulations that demonstrate promising results. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of PAM-BS, included in the scellpam package, exhibits robust performance in terms of speed and memory usage compared to other related methods. PAM allowed quick and robust clustering of sets of cells with a size ranging from 70,000 to 300,000 cells. https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/scellpam/index.html . Finally, our approach provides important new insights into the transient subpopulations associated with the fertile time frame when applied to the study of changes in the human endometrium during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Domingo
- Department of Informatics, ETSE, University of Valencia, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Oleksandra Kutsyr-Kolesnyk
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Valencia, Avda. Vicente Andres Estelles, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Teresa Leon
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Valencia, Avda. Vicente Andres Estelles, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Raul Perez-Moraga
- Carlos Simon Foundation, INCLIVA Health Research Institute, Eduardo Primo Yufera, 46012, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Igenomix R&D, Technology Park, 46980, Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Guillermo Ayala
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Valencia, Avda. Vicente Andres Estelles, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Beatriz Roson
- Carlos Simon Foundation, INCLIVA Health Research Institute, Eduardo Primo Yufera, 46012, Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
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Roberson EC, Tran NK, Godambe AN, Mark H, Nguimtsop M, Rust T, Ung E, Barker LJ, Fitch RD, Wallingford JB. Hedgehog signaling is required for endometrial remodeling and myometrial homeostasis in the cycling mouse uterus. iScience 2023; 26:107993. [PMID: 37810243 PMCID: PMC10551904 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades of work demonstrate that the mammalian estrous cycle is controlled by cycling steroid hormones. However, the signaling mechanisms that act downstream, linking hormonal action to the physical remodeling of the cycling uterus, remain unclear. To address this issue, we analyzed gene expression at all stages of the mouse estrous cycle. Strikingly, we found that several genetic programs well-known to control tissue morphogenesis in developing embryos displayed cyclical patterns of expression. We find that most of the genetic architectures of Hedgehog signaling (ligands, receptors, effectors, and transcription factors) are transcribed cyclically in the uterus, and that conditional disruption of the Hedgehog receptor smoothened not only elicits a failure of normal cyclical thickening of the endometrial lining but also induces aberrant deformation of the uterine smooth muscle. Together, our data shed light on the mechanisms underlying normal uterine remodeling specifically and cyclical gene expression generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elle C Roberson
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Ngan Kim Tran
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Anushka N Godambe
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Harrison Mark
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Michelle Nguimtsop
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Trinity Rust
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Elizabeth Ung
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - LeCaine J Barker
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Rebecca D Fitch
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - John B Wallingford
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Van Wynendaele M, Thieffry C, Samain L, Pierreux CE, Tyteca D, Marbaix E, Henriet P. Effects of estradiol, progesterone or cAMP on expression of PGRMC1 and progesterone receptor in a xenograft model of human endometrium and in endometrial cell culture. Steroids 2023; 198:109284. [PMID: 37487815 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2023.109284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Estradiol and progesterone are key regulators of the menstrual cycle. In the human endometrium, progesterone induces morphological changes required for blastocyst implantation. Dysregulated response to progesterone can lead to endometrial pathologies including uterine bleeding and endometriosis. Besides the canonical nuclear progesterone receptor (encoded by the PGR gene), alternative response pathways include Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component 1 (PGRMC1), suspected to be involved in pathogenesis of endometrial diseases. We previously reported the spatiotemporal profile of PGRMC1 expression in the human endometrium along the menstrual cycle, highlighting progressive increase and decrease during the proliferative and secretory phases, respectively. Here we directly addressed its regulation by estradiol and progesterone, with systematic comparison with regulation of PGR expression. We found a direct correlation between expression of both genes during the proliferative and secretory phases in the cycling endometrium, but not during the menstrual phase. In a xenograft model mimicking the cycle phases, estradiol significantly increased and progesterone significantly decreased PGR expression but changes were not significant for PGRMC1. Finally, we did not find any significant effect of the ovarian steroids on expression of PGR or PGRMC1 in primary culture of endometrial stromal cells, except for a small increase in PGR expression by estradiol. Altogether, our experiments do not allow a major advance in our understanding of the mechanisms of cyclic variation of PGRMC1 expression, in particular regarding potential regulation by the ovarian steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Van Wynendaele
- CELL Unit, de Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Charlotte Thieffry
- CELL Unit, de Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lucie Samain
- CELL Unit, de Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christophe E Pierreux
- CELL Unit, de Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Donatienne Tyteca
- CELL Unit, de Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Etienne Marbaix
- CELL Unit, de Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium; Pathology Department, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Patrick Henriet
- CELL Unit, de Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
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21
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Parraga-Leo A, Sebastian-Leon P, Devesa-Peiro A, Marti-Garcia D, Pellicer N, Remohi J, Dominguez F, Diaz-Gimeno P. Deciphering a shared transcriptomic regulation and the relative contribution of each regulator type through endometrial gene expression signatures. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2023; 21:84. [PMID: 37700285 PMCID: PMC10496172 DOI: 10.1186/s12958-023-01131-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGORUND While various endometrial biomarkers have been characterized at the transcriptomic and functional level, there is generally a poor overlap among studies, making it unclear to what extent their upstream regulators (e.g., ovarian hormones, transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs)) realistically contribute to menstrual cycle progression and function. Unmasking the intricacies of the molecular interactions in the endometrium from a novel systemic point of view will help gain a more accurate perspective of endometrial regulation and a better explanation the molecular etiology of endometrial-factor infertility. METHODS An in-silico analysis was carried out to identify which regulators consistently target the gene biomarkers proposed in studies related to endometrial progression and implantation failure (19 gene lists/signatures were included). The roles of these regulators, and of genes related to progesterone and estrogens, were then analysed in transcriptomic datasets compiled from samples collected throughout the menstrual cycle (n = 129), and the expression of selected TFs were prospectively validated in an independent cohort of healthy participants (n = 19). RESULTS A total of 3,608 distinct genes from the 19 gene lists were associated with endometrial progression and implantation failure. The lists' regulation was significantly favoured by TFs (89% (17/19) of gene lists) and progesterone (47% (8 /19) of gene lists), rather than miRNAs (5% (1/19) of gene lists) or estrogen (0% (0/19) of gene lists), respectively (FDR < 0.05). Exceptionally, two gene lists that were previously associated with implantation failure and unexplained infertility were less hormone-dependent, but primarily regulated by estrogen. Although endometrial progression genes were mainly targeted by hormones rather than non-hormonal contributors (odds ratio = 91.94, FDR < 0.05), we identified 311 TFs and 595 miRNAs not previously associated with ovarian hormones. We highlight CTCF, GATA6, hsa-miR-15a-5p, hsa-miR-218-5p, hsa-miR-107, hsa-miR-103a-3p, and hsa-miR-128-3p, as overlapping novel master regulators of endometrial function. The gene expression changes of selected regulators throughout the menstrual cycle (FDR < 0.05), dually validated in-silico and through endometrial biopsies, corroborated their potential regulatory roles in the endometrium. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed novel hormonal and non-hormonal regulators and their relative contributions to endometrial progression and pathology, providing new leads for the potential causes of endometrial-factor infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Parraga-Leo
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Blasco Ibáñez 15, 46010, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Patricia Sebastian-Leon
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Almudena Devesa-Peiro
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Blasco Ibáñez 15, 46010, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Diana Marti-Garcia
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Blasco Ibáñez 15, 46010, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Nuria Pellicer
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVIRMA Valencia, Plaza de La Policia Local 3, 46015, Valencia, Spain
| | - Jose Remohi
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Blasco Ibáñez 15, 46010, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVIRMA Valencia, Plaza de La Policia Local 3, 46015, Valencia, Spain
| | - Francisco Dominguez
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Patricia Diaz-Gimeno
- IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106, Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
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22
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Choo SP, Lee I, Lee JH, Lee D, Park H, Park JH, Cho S, Choi YS. Transcriptomic patterns in early-secretory and mid-secretory endometrium in a natural menstrual cycle immediately before in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. Obstet Gynecol Sci 2023; 66:417-429. [PMID: 37460099 PMCID: PMC10514596 DOI: 10.5468/ogs.22315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the endometrial transcriptomic patterns in the early secretory phase (ESP) and mid-secretory phase (MSP) of the natural menstrual cycle before in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). METHODS Thirty patients whose endometrial tissues were obtained from the ESP or MSP of a natural menstrual cycle immediately before IVF-ET were included. Endometrial dating was histologically confirmed as ESP (cycle days 16-18) or MSP (cycle days 19-21), according to the noyes criteria. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the IVF-ET outcome: pregnant (n=14; 7 in ESP and 7 in MSP) or non-pregnant (n=16; 8 in ESP and 8 in MSP). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the MSP, compared to the ESP, were identified using NanoString nCounter (NanoString Technologies, Seattle, WA, USA) data for both the pregnant and non-pregnant groups. RESULTS Thirteen DEGs in the pregnant group and 11 DEGs in the non-pregnant group were identified in the MSP compared to those in the ESP. In both groups, adrenoceptor alpha 2A, interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinase 2, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin repeats 15 (ADAMTS15), serpin family E member 1, integrin subunit beta 3, transmembrane protein 252 (TMEM252), huntingtin associated protein 1, C2 calcium-dependent domain containing 4A, and integrin subunit alpha 2 were upregulated in the MSP, compared to the ESP. TMEM37, galactosidase beta 1 like 2, Rho family GTPase 3, and cytochrome P450 family 24 subfamily A member 1 were upregulated in the MSP only in the pregnant group. ADAMTS8 was downregulated and monoamine oxidase A was upregulated in the MSP only in the non-pregnant group. CONCLUSION Transcriptomic patterns in the endometrium immediately before IVF-ET appear to differ according to the IVF-ET outcome. These novel DEGs, which have not been previously studied, may have functional significance during the window of implantation and serve as potential biomarkers of endometrial receptivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Pil Choo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inha University Hospital, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon,
Korea
| | - Inha Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women’s Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Jae-Hoon Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women’s Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Dowon Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Hyemin Park
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Joo Hyun Park
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women’s Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yongin,
Korea
| | - SiHyun Cho
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women’s Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Young Sik Choi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women’s Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea
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23
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Meltsov A, Saare M, Teder H, Paluoja P, Arffman RK, Piltonen T, Laudanski P, Wielgoś M, Gianaroli L, Koel M, Peters M, Salumets A, Krjutškov K, Palta P. Targeted gene expression profiling for accurate endometrial receptivity testing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13959. [PMID: 37633957 PMCID: PMC10460380 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40991-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Expressional profiling of the endometrium enables the personalised timing of the window of implantation (WOI). This study presents and evaluates a novel analytical pipeline based on a TAC-seq (Targeted Allele Counting by sequencing) method for endometrial dating. The expressional profiles were clustered, and differential expression analysis was performed on the model development group, using 63 endometrial biopsies spanning over proliferative (PE, n = 18), early-secretory (ESE, n = 18), mid-secretory (MSE, n = 17) and late-secretory (LSE, n = 10) endometrial phases of the natural cycle. A quantitative predictor model was trained on the development group and validated on sequenced samples from healthy women, consisting of 52 paired samples taken from ESE and MSE phases and five LSE phase samples from 31 individuals. Finally, the developed test was applied to 44 MSE phase samples from a study group of patients diagnosed with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). In validation samples (n = 57), we detected displaced WOI in 1.8% of the samples from fertile women. In the RIF study group, we detected a significantly higher proportion of the samples with shifted WOI than in the validation set of samples from fertile women, 15.9% and 1.8% (p = 0.012), respectively. The developed model was evaluated with an average cross-validation accuracy of 98.8% and an accuracy of 98.2% in the validation group. The developed beREADY screening model enables sensitive and dynamic detection of selected transcriptome biomarkers, providing a quantitative and accurate prediction of endometrial receptivity status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Meltsov
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Merli Saare
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Hindrek Teder
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Priit Paluoja
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Riikka K Arffman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, PEDEGO Research Unit, Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Terhi Piltonen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, PEDEGO Research Unit, Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Piotr Laudanski
- Oviklinika Infertility Center, 01-377, Warsaw, Poland
- Women's Health Research Institute, Calisia University, 62-800, Kalisz, Poland
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Gynaecological Oncology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Luca Gianaroli
- SISMeR, Reproductive Medicine Institute, 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mariann Koel
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, 51010, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Maire Peters
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andres Salumets
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406, Tartu, Estonia
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, SE-141 52, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kaarel Krjutškov
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Priit Palta
- Competence Centre On Health Technologies, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, 51010, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
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24
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Pathare ADS, Saare M, Meltsov A, Lawarde A, Modhukur V, Kalinina A, Sekavin A, Kukushkina V, Karro H, Salumets A, Peters M. The cervical transcriptome changes during the menstrual cycle but does not predict the window of implantation. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2023; 5:1224919. [PMID: 37519341 PMCID: PMC10375708 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2023.1224919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The expression of genes in female reproductive organs is influenced by the cyclic changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. While the molecular changes in the endometrium that facilitate embryo implantation have been extensively studied, there is limited knowledge about the impact of the menstrual cycle on cervical cells. Cervical cells can be easily and routinely collected using a cytobrush during gynecological examination, offering a standardized approach for diagnostic testing. In this study we investigated how the transcriptome of cervical cells changes during the menstrual cycle and assessed the utility of these cells to determine endometrial receptivity. Methods Endocervical cells were collected with cytobrushes from 16 healthy women at different menstrual cycle phases in natural cycles and from four women undergoing hormonal replacement cycles. RNA sequencing was applied to gain insight into the transcriptome of cervical cells. Results Transcriptome analysis identified four differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between early- and mid-secretory samples, suggesting that the transcriptome of cervical cells does not change significantly during the opening of the implantation window. The most differences appeared during the transition to the late secretory phase (2136 DEGs) before the onset of menstruation. Cervical cells collected during hormonal replacement cycles showed 1899 DEGs enriched in immune system processes. Conclusions The results of our study suggested that cervical cells undergo moderate transcriptomic changes throughout the menstrual cycle; however, these changes do not reflect the gene expression pattern of endometrial tissue and offer little or no potential for endometrial receptivity diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amruta D. S. Pathare
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Merli Saare
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alvin Meltsov
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Ankita Lawarde
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Vijayachitra Modhukur
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Aire Sekavin
- Women’s Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Helle Karro
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Women’s Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andres Salumets
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maire Peters
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
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25
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Kayacık Günday Ö, Fırat F, Yalçın GŞ, Yılmazer M. Association of endometrial polyps with STC-1 and STC-2 in infertile patients. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2023. [PMID: 37082818 DOI: 10.1111/jog.15658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of endometrial polyps (EPs) on the endometrium of patients with unexplained infertility using stanniocalcin-1 and -2 proteins (STC), whose effects on endometrial receptivity have been reported recently. MATERIALS AND METHODS A case-control study was performed, consisting of 26 patients who underwent endometrial sampling for diagnosis and/or treatment and diagnosed with EP on biopsy and/or excision material, and 23 patients with normal endometrial findings in the pathology, for a total of 49 patients with unexplained infertility. An immunohistochemistry examination was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue samples from both groups to understand whether there was a relationship between EP and STC. Staining results of the polyp and control groups for STC-1 and STC-2 were compared, and it was investigated whether STCs were predictive for EP. RESULTS In the comparison performed between the H-score evaluation results of the control and polyp groups after the immunohistochemical staining method, the staining in the polyp group was significantly higher for both STC-1 (p < 0.001) and STC-2 (p < 0.001). There was more staining with STC-1 than STC-2 in all groups (STC-1: 15.08; STC-2: 8.27; p < 0.05). In the logistic regression analysis established with STC-1, STC-2, and age, the predictive effect of STC-1 for EP was statistically significant (p = 0.040; odds ratio: 1.66; 95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.68). In EP, according to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, area under the curve was 0.980 (likelihood ratio: 20.35; p < 0.05), and the cut-off value was 18 for STC-1. CONCLUSION In infertile patients, since STC-1, which affects endometrial receptivity, is found to be significantly higher in polyps and has a predictive effect on polyps, in patients with unexplained infertility, routine uterine cavity evaluation and routine excision of polypoid lesions detected during this period may have a positive effect on endometrial receptivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özlem Kayacık Günday
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
| | - Fatma Fırat
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
| | - Gülsüm Şeyma Yalçın
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Yılmazer
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
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26
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Hu S, Sun Z, Li B, Zhao H, Wang Y, Yao G, Li X, Bian X, Li TC, Vankelecom H, Sun Y. iTRAQ-based Proteomic Analysis Unveils ACSL4 as a Novel Potential Regulator of Human Endometrial Receptivity. Endocrinology 2023; 164:6991315. [PMID: 36652382 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqad012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Competent endometrial receptivity is a prerequisite for successful embryo implantation. Identification of novel key molecules involved in endometrial receptivity is essential to better interpret human implantation and improve pregnancy rates in assisted reproduction treatment. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomics was performed to profile the proteomes of the prereceptive (luteinizing hormone [LH] + 2, n = 4) and receptive (LH + 7, n = 4) endometrial tissues. A total of 173 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between LH + 2 and LH + 7 endometrial samples were identified. Integrated analysis of the proteomic data and published transcriptomic data was performed to identify the concordant DEPs with differential expression at both the messenger RNA and protein levels. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was performed on concordant DEPs. We first identified 63 novel concordant DEPs and 5 hub proteins (ACSL4, ACSL5, COL1A1, PTGS1, and PLA2G4F) between LH + 2 and LH + 7 endometrial samples. ACSL4 was predominantly expressed in endometrial epithelial cells and its expression was significantly upregulated by progesterone in the LH + 7 endometrium and significantly downregulated in repeated implantation failure patients. Knockdown of ACSL4 in endometrial epithelial cells induced the downregulation of endometrial receptivity markers (HOXA10, COX2, and LIF) and the significant decrease of implantation rate during in vitro implantation analysis. This study provides the first gel-independent quantitative proteomes of the LH + 2 and LH + 7 human endometrium using iTRAQ technology. The identified concordant DEPs and hub proteins open a new avenue for future studies aimed at elucidating the underlying mechanisms governing endometrial receptivity. ACSL4 was identified as a novel regulatory molecule in the establishment of endometrial receptivity and might play important roles during implantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuanggang Hu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Zhe Sun
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Boyu Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Hanting Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Guangxin Yao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Xinyu Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Xuejiao Bian
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Tin Chiu Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Hugo Vankelecom
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Cluster Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, Research Unit of Stem Cell Research, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yun Sun
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200135, China
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27
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Marcus D, Phelps DL, Savage A, Balog J, Kudo H, Dina R, Bodai Z, Rosini F, Ip J, Amgheib A, Abda J, Manoli E, McKenzie J, Yazbek J, Takats Z, Ghaem-Maghami S. Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer Using the Surgical Intelligent Knife (iKnife)-A Prospective Pilot Study of Diagnostic Accuracy. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:5892. [PMID: 36497372 PMCID: PMC9736036 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Delays in the diagnosis and treatment of endometrial cancer negatively impact patient survival. The aim of this study was to establish whether rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry using the iKnife can accurately distinguish between normal and malignant endometrial biopsy tissue samples in real time, enabling point-of-care (POC) diagnoses. Methods: Pipelle biopsy samples were obtained from consecutive women needing biopsies for clinical reasons. A Waters G2-XS Xevo Q-Tof mass spectrometer was used in conjunction with a modified handheld diathermy (collectively called the 'iKnife'). Each tissue sample was processed with diathermy, and the resultant surgical aerosol containing ionic lipid species was then analysed, producing spectra. Principal component analyses and linear discriminant analyses were performed to determine variance in spectral signatures. Leave-one-patient-out cross-validation was used to test the diagnostic accuracy. Results: One hundred and fifty patients provided Pipelle biopsy samples (85 normal, 59 malignant, 4 hyperplasia and 2 insufficient), yielding 453 spectra. The iKnife differentiated between normal and malignant endometrial tissues on the basis of differential phospholipid spectra. Cross-validation revealed a diagnostic accuracy of 89% with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 85%, 93%, 94% and 85%, respectively. Conclusions: This study is the first to use the iKnife to identify cancer in endometrial Pipelle biopsy samples. These results are highly encouraging and suggest that the iKnife could be used in the clinic to provide a POC diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Marcus
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - David L. Phelps
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, University Hospital Southampton, Coxford Road, Southampton SO16 5YA, UK
| | - Adele Savage
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Julia Balog
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Hiromi Kudo
- Centre for Pathology, Imperial College London, 4th Floor Clarence Wing, St Mary’s Hospital, London W2 1NY, UK
| | - Roberto Dina
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Zsolt Bodai
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Francesca Rosini
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Jacey Ip
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Ala Amgheib
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Julia Abda
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Eftychios Manoli
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - James McKenzie
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Joseph Yazbek
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Zoltan Takats
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Sadaf Ghaem-Maghami
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
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28
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Maziotis E, Kalampokas T, Giannelou P, Grigoriadis S, Rapani A, Anifantakis M, Kotsifaki A, Pantou A, Triantafyllidou O, Tzanakaki D, Neofytou S, Vogiatzi P, Bakas P, Simopoulou M, Vlahos N. Commercially Available Molecular Approaches to Evaluate Endometrial Receptivity: A Systematic Review and Critical Analysis of the Literature. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:2611. [PMID: 36359455 PMCID: PMC9689742 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12112611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the advances in the field of reproductive medicine, implantation failure represents a challenging condition affecting 10-30% of patients subjected to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Research has focused on the identification of molecules playing crucial roles in endometrial receptivity, with the aim of designing predictive tools for efficient detection of the implantation window. To that end, novel molecular genomic and transcriptomic approaches have been introduced as promising tools to enable personalized approaches with the aim of optimizing embryo transfer dating. However, the clinical value of these approaches remains unclear. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review and critical analysis of the existing evidence regarding the employment of commercially available novel approaches to evaluate endometrial receptivity. An Embase and PubMed/Medline search was performed on 1 February 2022. From the 475 articles yielded, only 27 were included and analyzed. The considerable heterogeneity of the included articles indicates the uniqueness of the implantation window, showcasing that the optimal time for embryo transfer varies significantly between women. Moreover, this study provides information regarding the technical aspects of these advanced molecular tools, as well as an analysis of novel possible biomarkers for endometrial receptivity, providing a basis for future research in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangelos Maziotis
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75, Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Theodoros Kalampokas
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Polina Giannelou
- Centre for Human Reproduction, Genesis Athens Clinic, 14-16, Papanikoli Str., 15232 Athens, Greece
| | - Sokratis Grigoriadis
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75, Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Anna Rapani
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75, Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Marios Anifantakis
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75, Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Amalia Kotsifaki
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75, Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Agni Pantou
- Centre for Human Reproduction, Genesis Athens Clinic, 14-16, Papanikoli Str., 15232 Athens, Greece
| | - Olga Triantafyllidou
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Despoina Tzanakaki
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Spyridoula Neofytou
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Paraskevi Vogiatzi
- Andromed Health & Reproduction, Fertility Diagnostics Center, 3, Mesogion Str., 15126 Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Bakas
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Mara Simopoulou
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75, Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Vlahos
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 76, Vasilisis Sofias Avenue, 11528 Athens, Greece
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29
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Feng X, Meng X, Guo S, Li K, Wang L, Ai J. Identification of key genes and immune cell infiltration in recurrent implantation failure: A study based on integrated analysis of multiple microarray studies. Am J Reprod Immunol 2022; 88:e13607. [PMID: 35929523 PMCID: PMC9786880 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) refers to a challenging topic in assisted reproductive technology (ART), the etiology of which may be attributed to impaired endometrial receptivity; however, the precise pathogenesis of RIF has not been thoroughly elucidated. METHOD OF STUDY Four RIF microarray datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and integrated by the "sva" R package. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed using the "limma" package and then GO, KEGG, GSEA, and GSVA were applied to perform functional and pathway enrichment analysis. The immune cell infiltration in the RIF process was evaluated by the CIBERSORT algorithm. Finally, the hub genes were identified through the CytoHubba and subsequently verified using two items of external endometrial data. RESULTS 236 genes were differentially expressed in the endometrium of the RIF group. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that the biological functions of DEGs were mainly correlated to the immune-related pathways, including immune response, TNF signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascades. Among the immune cells, γδ T cells decreased significantly in the endometrium of RIF patients. In addition, the key DEGs such as PTGS2, FGB, MUC1, SST, VCAM1, MMP7, ERBB4, FOLR1, and C3 were screened and identified as the hub genes involved in the pathogenesis of RIF. CONCLUSIONS Abnormal immune response regulation of endometrium contributes to the occurrence of RIF, and γδ T cells may be the pivotal immune cells causing RIF. At the same time, the novel hub genes identified will provide effective targets for the prediction and therapy of RIF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Feng
- Reproductive Medicine CenterTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Xiaolin Meng
- Reproductive Medicine CenterTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Shuaiqingying Guo
- Department of Gynecology and ObstetricsTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Kezhen Li
- Department of Gynecology and ObstetricsTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Lingjuan Wang
- Department of Gynecology and ObstetricsTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Jihui Ai
- Reproductive Medicine CenterTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
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30
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Thieffry C, Van Wynendaele M, Samain L, Tyteca D, Pierreux C, Marbaix E, Henriet P. Spatiotemporal expression pattern of Progesterone Receptor Component (PGRMC) 1 in endometrium from patients with or without endometriosis or adenomyosis. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2022; 223:106153. [PMID: 35835350 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2022.106153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The endometrium plays a crucial role in reproduction and, in humans, is cyclically remodeled under hormonal control. Estradiol favors tissue proliferation whereas progesterone inhibits tissue growth and induces morphological changes. Endometriosis is often associated with fertility issues and with exacerbated estrogen and reduced progesterone concentration or response in the eutopic endometrium. However, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component (PGRMC) 1 is a protein able to modulate progesterone response and its murine knockout reduced fertility. However, the precise spatiotemporal pattern of PGRMC1 expression in the human endometrium is still poorly characterized. We investigated variations of eutopic endometrial PGRMC1 expression by combining RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization. We found that PGRMC1 expression progressively increases during the proliferative phase and decreases during the secretory phase. However, immunolabeling and identification of mRNA-containing cells were regularly heterogeneous in samples, according to tissue depth, with a gradient extending from the surface epithelium towards the basalis. There was no significant difference in PGRMC1 mRNA amounts between patients with or without endometriosis or adenomyosis, for any phase of the menstrual cycle, but cells with strong or moderate PGRMC1 immunolabeling were reduced during the proliferative phase in endometriotic patients. In conclusion, although the cyclical variation of PGRMC1 expression globally follows fluctuation of ovarian steroids, further work is required to precisely characterize hormonal control and identify the additional levels of regulation responsible for local adjustment of PGRMC1 concentration. This is particularly important in the light of recent studies emphasizing the correlation between adequate PGRMC1 amounts and fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Thieffry
- CELL Unit, De Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Marie Van Wynendaele
- CELL Unit, De Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Lucie Samain
- CELL Unit, De Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Donatienne Tyteca
- CELL Unit, De Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Christophe Pierreux
- CELL Unit, De Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Etienne Marbaix
- CELL Unit, De Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium; Pathology Department, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Patrick Henriet
- CELL Unit, De Duve Institute and Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
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31
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SFRP4 + stromal cell subpopulation with IGF1 signaling in human endometrial regeneration. Cell Discov 2022; 8:95. [PMID: 36163341 PMCID: PMC9512788 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-022-00438-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of full-thickness endometrial regeneration after injury is limited by an incomplete molecular characterization of the cell populations responsible for the organ functions. To help fill this knowledge gap, we characterized 10,551 cells of full-thickness normal human uterine from two menstrual phases (proliferative and secretory phase) using unbiased single cell RNA-sequencing. We dissected cell heterogeneity of main cell types (epithelial, stromal, endothelial, and immune cells) of the full thickness uterine tissues, cell population architectures of human uterus cells across the menstrual cycle. We identified an SFRP4+ stromal cell subpopulation that was highly enriched in the regenerative stage of the human endometria during the menstrual cycle, and the SFRP4+ stromal cells could significantly enhance the proliferation of human endometrial epithelial organoid in vitro, and promote the regeneration of endometrial epithelial glands and full-thickness endometrial injury through IGF1 signaling pathway in vivo. Our cell atlas of full-thickness uterine tissues revealed the cellular heterogeneities, cell population architectures, and their cell-cell communications during the monthly regeneration of the human endometria, which provide insight into the biology of human endometrial regeneration and the development of regenerative medicine treatments against endometrial damage and intrauterine adhesion.
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32
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Erten O, Taskomur AT, Albayrak M. Current Biomarkers for Endometrial Receptivity. Biomark Med 2022. [DOI: 10.2174/9789815040463122010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Implantation and the continuation of pregnancy occur through a complicated
and sophisticated dialogue, called “cross-talk,” which starts between the embryo and
the endometrium in the early stages of oocyte maturation. This dialogue provides
synchronization of the journey of the embryo to be implanted with the receptive
endometrium. Understanding the activity and function of the hormones and factors
involved in this dialogue will provide an understanding of endometrial receptivity,
which plays a key role in implantation, and the determination of biomarkers specific
for this period. As a result of the development of omics technology, it has become
possible to identify biomarkers specific to endometrial receptivity by performing
genomic, proteomic, and lipidomic analyses of these hormones and factors. The
determination of these biomarkers, their optimization, and making them usable in the
clinic will allow increased success in ART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozlem Erten
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Kutahya Health Sciences
University, Kutahya, Turkey
| | - Aysun Tekeli Taskomur
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Amasya University, Amasya,
Turkey
| | - Mustafa Albayrak
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sisli Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
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33
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The expression pattern of endometrial receptivity genes is desynchronized between endometrium and matched endometriomas. Reprod Biomed Online 2022; 45:713-720. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2022.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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34
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Yang T, Zhao J, Liu F, Li Y. Lipid metabolism and endometrial receptivity. Hum Reprod Update 2022; 28:858-889. [PMID: 35639910 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmac026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obesity has now been recognized as a high-risk factor for reproductive health. Although remarkable advancements have been made in ART, a considerable number of infertile obese women still suffer from serial implantation failure, despite the high quality of embryos transferred. Although obesity has long been known to exert various deleterious effects on female fertility, the underlying mechanisms, especially the roles of lipid metabolism in endometrial receptivity, remain largely elusive. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE This review summarizes current evidence on the impacts of several major lipids and lipid-derived mediators on the embryonic implantation process. Emerging methods for evaluating endometrial receptivity, for example transcriptomic and lipidomic analysis, are also discussed. SEARCH METHODS The PubMed and Embase databases were searched using the following keywords: (lipid or fatty acid or prostaglandin or phospholipid or sphingolipid or endocannabinoid or lysophosphatidic acid or cholesterol or progesterone or estrogen or transcriptomic or lipidomic or obesity or dyslipidemia or polycystic ovary syndrome) AND (endometrial receptivity or uterine receptivity or embryo implantation or assisted reproductive technology or in vitro fertilization or embryo transfer). A comprehensive literature search was performed on the roles of lipid-related metabolic pathways in embryo implantation published between January 1970 and March 2022. Only studies with original data and reviews published in English were included in this review. Additional information was obtained from references cited in the articles resulting from the literature search. OUTCOMES Recent studies have shown that a fatty acids-related pro-inflammatory response in the embryo-endometrium boundary facilitates pregnancy via mediation of prostaglandin signaling. Phospholipid-derived mediators, for example endocannabinoids, lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate, are associated with endometrial receptivity, embryo spacing and decidualization based on evidence from both animal and human studies. Progesterone and estrogen are two cholesterol-derived steroid hormones that synergistically mediate the structural and functional alterations in the uterus ready for blastocyst implantation. Variations in serum cholesterol profiles throughout the menstrual cycle imply a demand for steroidogenesis at the time of window of implantation (WOI). Since 2002, endometrial transcriptomic analysis has been serving as a diagnostic tool for WOI dating. Numerous genes that govern lipid homeostasis have been identified and, based on specific alterations of lipidomic signatures differentially expressed in WOI, lipidomic analysis of endometrial fluid provides a possibility for non-invasive diagnosis of lipids alterations during the WOI. WIDER IMPLICATIONS Given that lipid metabolic dysregulation potentially plays a role in infertility, a better understanding of lipid metabolism could have significant clinical implications for the diagnosis and treatment of female reproductive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianli Yang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, P.R. China.,Clinical Research Center for Women's Reproductive Health in Hunan Province, Changsha, P.R. China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, P.R. China.,Clinical Research Center for Women's Reproductive Health in Hunan Province, Changsha, P.R. China
| | - Feng Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, and Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, P.R. China
| | - Yanping Li
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, P.R. China.,Clinical Research Center for Women's Reproductive Health in Hunan Province, Changsha, P.R. China
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Ma W, Cao M, Bi S, Du L, Chen J, Wang H, Jiang Y, Wu Y, Liao Y, Kong S, Liu J. MAX deficiency impairs human endometrial decidualization through down-regulating OSR2 in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 388:453-469. [PMID: 35146559 PMCID: PMC9035420 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03579-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Human uterine stromal cell undergoes decidualization for pregnancy establishment and maintenance, which involved extensive proliferation and differentiation. Increasing studies have suggested that recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) may result from defective endometrial stromal decidualization. However, the critical molecular mechanisms underlying impaired decidualization during RSA are still elusive. By using our recently published single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) atlas, we found that MYC-associated factor X (MAX) was significantly downregulated in the stromal cells derived from decidual tissues of women with RSA, followed by verification with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). MAX knockdown significantly impairs human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) proliferation as determined by MTS assay and Ki67 immunostaining, and decidualization determined by F-actin, and decidualization markers. RNA-seq together with chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) and cleavage under targets and release using nuclease sequencing (CUT&RUN-seq) analysis were applied to explore the molecular mechanisms of MAX in regulation of decidualization, followed by dual-luciferase reporter assay to verify that MAX targets to (odd-skipped related transcription factor 2) OSR2 directly. Reduced expression of OSR2 was also confirmed in decidual tissues in women with RSA by IHC and qRT-PCR. OSR2 knockdown also significantly impairs HESCs decidualization. OSR2-overexpression could at least partly rescue the downregulated insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP1) expression level in response to MAX knockdown. Collectively, MAX deficiency observed in RSA stromal cells not only attenuates HESCs proliferation but also impairs HESCs decidualization by downregulating OSR2 expression at transcriptional level directly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixu Ma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mingzhu Cao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shilei Bi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Higher Education Joint Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lili Du
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Higher Education Joint Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingsi Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Higher Education Joint Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haibin Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yufei Jiang
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Reproductive Medicine, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yixuan Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yixin Liao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Shuangbo Kong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
| | - Jianqiao Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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Kalakota NR, George LC, Morelli SS, Douglas NC, Babwah AV. Towards an Improved Understanding of the Effects of Elevated Progesterone Levels on Human Endometrial Receptivity and Oocyte/Embryo Quality during Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Cells 2022; 11:cells11091405. [PMID: 35563710 PMCID: PMC9105155 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian stimulation is an indispensable part of IVF and is employed to produce multiple ovarian follicles. In women who undergo ovarian stimulation with gonadotropins, supraphysiological levels of estradiol, as well as a premature rise in progesterone levels, can be seen on the day of hCG administration. These alterations in hormone levels are associated with reduced embryo implantation and pregnancy rates in IVF cycles with a fresh embryo transfer. This article aims to improve the reader’s understanding of the effects of elevated progesterone levels on human endometrial receptivity and oocyte/embryo quality. Based on current clinical data, it appears that the premature rise in progesterone levels exerts minimal or no effects on oocyte/embryo quality, while advancing the histological development of the secretory endometrium and displacing the window of implantation. These clinical findings strongly suggest that reduced implantation and pregnancy rates are the result of a negatively affected endometrium rather than poor oocyte/embryo quality. Understanding the potential negative impact of elevated progesterone levels on the endometrium is crucial to improving implantation rates following a fresh embryo transfer. Clinical studies conducted over the past three decades, many of which have been reviewed here, have greatly advanced our knowledge in this important area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nischelle R. Kalakota
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07107, USA; (L.C.G.); (S.S.M.); (N.C.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-993-972-5136
| | - Lea C. George
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07107, USA; (L.C.G.); (S.S.M.); (N.C.D.)
| | - Sara S. Morelli
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07107, USA; (L.C.G.); (S.S.M.); (N.C.D.)
| | - Nataki C. Douglas
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07107, USA; (L.C.G.); (S.S.M.); (N.C.D.)
- Center for Immunity and Inflammation, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07107, USA
| | - Andy V. Babwah
- Department of Pediatrics, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07107, USA;
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Aikaterini B, Sophia Z, Fanourios M, Panagiotis D, Timur G, Antonios M. Aging, a modulator of human endometrial stromal cell proliferation and decidualization. A role for implantation? Reprod Biomed Online 2022; 45:202-210. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2022.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Urinary Biomarkers for Detection of Clinical Endometriosis or Adenomyosis. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10040833. [PMID: 35453583 PMCID: PMC9025125 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10040833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis or adenomyosis can be clinically diagnosed by ultrasound, symptoms, physical examination, and serum CA125. The urinary markers need to be investigated. The aim of our study was to investigate the urinary markers of clinical endometriosis/adenomyosis, and the correlation of serum CA125 was also studied. From the literature, alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT), enolase-1, vitamin D binding protein (VDBP), and CA125 in urine and serum were used in our study and measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Further clinical correlation and detection performance were evaluated. We enrolled 19 normal controls and 33 patients clinically diagnosed with endometriosis/adenomyosis. There were significant differences between studied patients and normal controls, as follows: serum CA125 (130.91 vs. 19.75 U/mL, p = 0.004); urinary CA125-creatinine ratio (5.591 vs. 0.254 ng/mg, p = 0.028); and urinary VDBP-creatinine ratio (28.028 vs. 7.301 ng/mg, p = 0.018). For diagnostic performances, serum CA125 provided the best results, with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.888 (p = 0.001) and accuracy of 86.5%. Other excellent results were also found using urinary VDBP (AUC 0.841, p = 0.001) and A1AT (AUC 0.722, p = 0.011) creatinine ratio. Using three combined biomarkers, serum CA125, urinary VDBP, and A1AT creatinine ratio, provided good detection power (AUC 0.913, p = 0.001, sensitivity 90.9%, specificity 76.5%). Double urine markers used in combination with VDBP and A1AT creatinine ratio also provided good diagnostic performance (AUC 0.809, p = 0.001, sensitivity 81.8%, specificity 76.5%, accuracy 80%). Further development of non-invasive point-of-care tests using these biomarkers could be a fruitful future endeavor.
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Preimplantation Endometrial Transcriptomics in Natural Conception Cycle of the Rhesus Monkey. REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/reprodmed3010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is no report on preimplantation phase endometrial transcriptomics in natural conception cycles of primates. In the present study, the whole-genome expression array of endometrium on Days 2, 4, and 6 post-ovulation (pov) in proven natural conception (Group 1; n = 12) and non-mated, ovulatory (Group 2; n = 12) cycles of rhesus monkeys was examined, compared, and validated. Of fifteen (15) genes showing differential expression (>2-fold; pFDR < 0.05), six genes (CHRND, FOXD3, GJD4, MAPK8IP3, MKS1, and NUP50) were upregulated, while eight genes (ADCY5, ADIPOR1, NNMT, PATL1, PIGV, TGFBR2, TOX2, and VWA5B1) were down regulated on Day 6 pov as compared to Day 2 pov in conception cycles. On Day 6 pov, four genes (ADCY5, NNMT, TOX2, and VWA5B1) were down regulated, and AVEN was upregulated in conception cycles compared with the non-conception cycle. These observations were orthogonally validated at protein expression level. Group-specifically expressed unique genes in conception cycles influence the process of induction of immune-tolerance, while the genes expressed in both groups influence processes of protein targeting and metabolism. A triad of timed-actions of progesterone, seminal plasma, and preimplantation embryo putatively regulate several input molecules to CREB, NF-kB, and STAT regulatory networks during secretory phase towards evolution of endometrial receptivity in the rhesus monkey.
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Diaz-Gimeno P, Sebastian-Leon P, Sanchez-Reyes JM, Spath K, Aleman A, Vidal C, Devesa-Peiro A, Labarta E, Sánchez-Ribas I, Ferrando M, Kohls G, García-Velasco JA, Seli E, Wells D, Pellicer A. Identifying and optimizing human endometrial gene expression signatures for endometrial dating. Hum Reprod 2022; 37:284-296. [PMID: 34875061 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION What are the key considerations for developing an enhanced transcriptomic method for secretory endometrial tissue dating? SUMMARY ANSWER Multiple gene expression signature combinations can serve as biomarkers for endometrial dating, but their predictive performance is variable and depends on the number and identity of the genes included in the prediction model, the dataset characteristics and the technology employed for measuring gene expression. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Among the new generation of transcriptomic endometrial dating (TED) tools developed in the last decade, there exists variation in the technology used for measuring gene expression, the gene makeup and the prediction model design. A detailed study, comparing prediction performance across signatures for understanding signature behaviour and discrepancies in gene content between them, is lacking. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A multicentre prospective study was performed between July 2018 and October 2020 at five different centres from the same group of clinics (Spain). This study recruited 281 patients and finally included in the gene expression analysis 225 Caucasian patients who underwent IVF treatment. After preprocessing and batch effect filtering, gene expression measurements from 217 patients were combined with artificial intelligence algorithms (support vector machine, random forest and k-nearest neighbours) allowing evaluation of different prediction models. In addition, secretory-phase endometrial transcriptomes from gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets were analysed for 137 women, to study the endometrial dating capacity of genes independently and grouped by signatures. This provided data on the consistency of prediction across different gene expression technologies and datasets. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Endometrial biopsies were analysed using a targeted TruSeq (Illumina) custom RNA expression panel called the endometrial dating panel (ED panel). This panel included 301 genes previously considered relevant for endometrial dating as well as new genes selected for their anticipated value in detecting the secretory phase. Final samples (n = 217) were divided into a training set for signature discovery and an independent testing set for evaluation of predictive performance of the new signature. In addition, secretory-phase endometrial transcriptomes from GEO were analysed for 137 women to study endometrial dating capacity of genes independently and grouped by signatures. Predictive performance among these signatures was compared according to signature gene set size. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Testing of the ED panel allowed development of a model based on a new signature of 73 genes, which we termed 'TED' and delivers an enhanced tool for the consistent dating of the secretory phase progression, especially during the mid-secretory endometrium (3-8 days after progesterone (P) administration (P + 3-P + 8) in a hormone replacement therapy cycle). This new model showed the best predictive capacity in an independent test set for staging the endometrial tissue in the secretory phase, especially in the expected window of implantation (average of 114.5 ± 7.2 h of progesterone administered; range in our patient population of 82-172 h). Published sets of genes, in current use for endometrial dating and the new TED genes, were evaluated in parallel in whole-transcriptome datasets and in the ED panel dataset. TED signature performance was consistently excellent for all datasets assessed, frequently outperforming previously published sets of genes with a smaller number of genes for dating the endometrium in the secretory phase. Thus, this optimized set exhibited prediction consistency across datasets. LARGE SCALE DATA The data used in this study is partially available at GEO database. GEO identifiers GSE4888, GSE29981, GSE58144, GSE98386. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Although dating the endometrial biopsy is crucial for investigating endometrial progression and the receptivity process, further studies are needed to confirm whether or not endometrial dating methods in general are clinically useful and to guide the specific use of TED in the clinical setting. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Multiple gene signature combinations provide adequate endometrial dating, but their predictive performance depends on the identity of the genes included, the gene expression platform, the algorithms used and dataset characteristics. TED is a next-generation endometrial assessment tool based on gene expression for accurate endometrial progression dating especially during the mid-secretory. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Research funded by IVI Foundation (1810-FIVI-066-PD). P.D.-G. visiting scientist fellowship at Oxford University (BEFPI/2010/032) and Josefa Maria Sanchez-Reyes' predoctoral fellowship (ACIF/2018/072) were supported by a program from the Generalitat Valenciana funded by the Spanish government. A.D.-P. is supported by the FPU/15/01398 predoctoral fellowship from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Spanish Government). D.W. received support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. The authors do not have any competing interests to declare.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Diaz-Gimeno
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Level 3, Women's Centre John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - P Sebastian-Leon
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
| | - J M Sanchez-Reyes
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - K Spath
- Research Department, JUNO Genetics, Oxford, UK
| | - A Aleman
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
| | - C Vidal
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- Reproductive medicine, IVI RMA Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - A Devesa-Peiro
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - E Labarta
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- Reproductive medicine, IVI RMA Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - I Sánchez-Ribas
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- Reproductive medicine, IVI RMA Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Ferrando
- Reproductive medicine, IVI RMA Bilbao, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - G Kohls
- Reproductive medicine, IVI RMA Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - J A García-Velasco
- Reproductive medicine, IVI RMA Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - E Seli
- Research Department, IVI RMA New Jersey, Basking Ridge, NJ, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Science, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - D Wells
- Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Level 3, Women's Centre John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Research Department, JUNO Genetics, Oxford, UK
| | - A Pellicer
- Genomic & Systems Reproductive Medicine, IVI Foundation/Instituto de investigación sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Research Department, JUNO Genetics, Oxford, UK
- Reproductive medicine, IVI RMA Rome, Roma, Italy
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Dabi Y, Suisse S, Jornea L, Bouteiller D, Touboul C, Puchar A, Daraï E, Bendifallah S. Clues for Improving the Pathophysiology Knowledge for Endometriosis Using Plasma Micro-RNA Expression. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:175. [PMID: 35054341 PMCID: PMC8774370 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12010175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathophysiology of endometriosis remains poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate functions and pathways associated with the various miRNAs differentially expressed in patients with endometriosis. Plasma samples of the 200 patients from the prospective "ENDO-miRNA" study were analyzed and all known human miRNAs were sequenced. For each miRNA, sensitivity, specificity, and ROC AUC values were calculated for the diagnosis of endometriosis. miRNAs with an AUC ≥ 0.6 were selected for further analysis. A comprehensive review of recent articles from the PubMed, Clinical Trials.gov, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was performed to identify functions and pathways associated with the selected miRNAs. In total, 2633 miRNAs were found in the patients with endometriosis. Among the 57 miRNAs with an AUC ≥ 0.6: 20 had never been reported before; one (miR-124-3p) had previously been observed in endometriosis; and the remaining 36 had been reported in benign and malignant disorders. miR-124-3p is involved in ectopic endometrial cell proliferation and invasion and plays a role in the following pathways: mTOR, STAT3, PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, ERK, PLGF-ROS, FGF2-FGFR, MAPK, GSK3B/β-catenin. Most of the remaining 36 miRNAs are involved in carcinogenesis through cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. The three main pathways involved are Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/Akt, and NF-KB. Our results provide evidence of the relation between the miRNA profiles of patients with endometriosis and various signaling pathways implicated in its pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohann Dabi
- Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Hôpital Tenon, Sorbonne University, 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France; (Y.D.); (C.T.); (A.P.); (E.D.)
- Clinical Research Group (GRC) Paris 6, Centre Expert Endométriose (C3E), Sorbonne University (GRC6 C3E SU), 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France
- Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine (CRSA), Sorbonne University, INSERM UMR_S_938, 75020 Paris, France
| | | | - Ludmila Jornea
- Paris Brain Institute—Institut du Cerveau—ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP—Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne University, 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France;
| | - Delphine Bouteiller
- Gentoyping and Sequencing Core Facility, iGenSeq, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, ICM, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47-83 Boulevard de l’Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France;
| | - Cyril Touboul
- Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Hôpital Tenon, Sorbonne University, 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France; (Y.D.); (C.T.); (A.P.); (E.D.)
- Clinical Research Group (GRC) Paris 6, Centre Expert Endométriose (C3E), Sorbonne University (GRC6 C3E SU), 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France
- Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine (CRSA), Sorbonne University, INSERM UMR_S_938, 75020 Paris, France
| | - Anne Puchar
- Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Hôpital Tenon, Sorbonne University, 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France; (Y.D.); (C.T.); (A.P.); (E.D.)
| | - Emile Daraï
- Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Hôpital Tenon, Sorbonne University, 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France; (Y.D.); (C.T.); (A.P.); (E.D.)
| | - Sofiane Bendifallah
- Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Hôpital Tenon, Sorbonne University, 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France; (Y.D.); (C.T.); (A.P.); (E.D.)
- Clinical Research Group (GRC) Paris 6, Centre Expert Endométriose (C3E), Sorbonne University (GRC6 C3E SU), 4 Rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris, France
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Mortlock S, McKinnon B, Montgomery GW. Genetic Regulation of Transcription in the Endometrium in Health and Disease. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2022; 3:795464. [PMID: 36304015 PMCID: PMC9580733 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2021.795464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The endometrium is a complex and dynamic tissue essential for fertility and implicated in many reproductive disorders. The tissue consists of glandular epithelium and vascularised stroma and is unique because it is constantly shed and regrown with each menstrual cycle, generating up to 10 mm of new mucosa. Consequently, there are marked changes in cell composition and gene expression across the menstrual cycle. Recent evidence shows expression of many genes is influenced by genetic variation between individuals. We and others have reported evidence for genetic effects on hundreds of genes in endometrium. The genetic factors influencing endometrial gene expression are highly correlated with the genetic effects on expression in other reproductive (e.g., in uterus and ovary) and digestive tissues (e.g., salivary gland and stomach), supporting a shared genetic regulation of gene expression in biologically similar tissues. There is also increasing evidence for cell specific genetic effects for some genes. Sample size for studies in endometrium are modest and results from the larger studies of gene expression in blood report genetic effects for a much higher proportion of genes than currently reported for endometrium. There is also emerging evidence for the importance of genetic variation on RNA splicing. Gene mapping studies for common disease, including diseases associated with endometrium, show most variation maps to intergenic regulatory regions. It is likely that genetic risk factors for disease function through modifying the program of cell specific gene expression. The emerging evidence from our gene mapping studies coupled with tissue specific studies, and the GTEx, eQTLGen and EpiMap projects, show we need to expand our understanding of the complex regulation of gene expression. These data also help to link disease genetic risk factors to specific target genes. Combining our data on genetic regulation of gene expression in endometrium, and cell types within the endometrium with gene mapping data for endometriosis and related diseases is beginning to uncover the specific genes and pathways responsible for increased risk of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Grant W. Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Emerging in vitro platforms and omics technologies for studying the endometrium and early embryo-maternal interface in humans. Placenta 2022; 125:36-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2022.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Transcriptome study of receptive endometrium in overweight and obese women shows important expression differences in immune response and inflammatory pathways in women who do not conceive. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261873. [PMID: 34941965 PMCID: PMC8699967 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity and being overweight are growing worldwide health problems that also affect women of reproductive age. They impair women’s fertility and are associated with lower IVF success rates. The mechanism by which increased body weight disrupts fertility has not yet been established. One possibility is that it affects the process of embryo implantation on the endometrial level. The purpose of our study was to determine the differences in enriched biological pathways in the endometrium of overweight and obese women undergoing IVF procedures. For this purpose, 14 patients (5 pregnant, 9 non-pregnant) were included in the study. Endometrial samples were obtained during the window of implantation and RNA sequencing was performed. There were no differences in general patient’s and IVF cycle characteristics between pregnant and non-pregnant women. In the endometrial samples of women who did not conceive, pathways related to the immune response, inflammation, and reactive oxygen species production were over-expressed. Our findings show that the reason for implantation failure in overweight and obese women could lie in the excessive immune and inflammatory response at the endometrial level.
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46
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Mohtasebi P, Eslami M, Ramezanali F, Borjian Boroujeni P, Rokhsat Talab Z, Zamanian M. APOE polymorphism status (E4) may help in predicting the risk of recurrent implantation failure. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2021; 158:447-452. [PMID: 34767643 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms and incidence of recurrent implantation failure (RIF). METHODS In a case-control study, 100 women with RIF were compared with 100 women with at least one live child. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood and APOE genotyping was performed through polymerase chain reaction, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's χ2 test. RESULTS Our data revealed a significantly higher frequency for the E3/E4 genotype and E4 allele in the RIF group compared with controls. Significant differences in frequencies of the E4 allele (odds ratio [OR] 2.176; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.131-4.185; P = 0.026) and E3/E4 genotype (OR 2.203; 95% CI 1.092-4.443; P = 0.038) were observed between the groups. CONCLUSION The E4 polymorphism is correlated with RIF occurrence in women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment and potentially can be considered as a risk factor to the human implantation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parinaz Mohtasebi
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Genetics, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Eslami
- Department of Genetics, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.,Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fariba Ramezanali
- Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parnaz Borjian Boroujeni
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zeinab Rokhsat Talab
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammadreza Zamanian
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
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47
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Bishop A, Cartwright JE, Whitley GS. Stanniocalcin-1 in the female reproductive system and pregnancy. Hum Reprod Update 2021; 27:1098-1114. [PMID: 34432025 PMCID: PMC8542996 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmab028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) is a widely expressed glycoprotein hormone involved in a diverse spectrum of physiological and pathophysiological processes including angiogenesis, mineral homeostasis, cell proliferation, inflammation and apoptosis. Over the last 20 years, numerous studies have reported STC-1 expression within female reproductive tissues including the uterus, ovaries and placenta and implicated STC-1 in processes such as ovarian follicular development, blastocyst implantation, vascular remodelling in early pregnancy and placental development. Notably, dysregulation of STC-1 within reproductive tissues has been linked to the onset of severe reproductive disorders including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, poor trophoblast invasion and placental perfusion in early pregnancy. Furthermore, significant changes in tissue expression and in maternal systemic concentration take place throughout pregnancy and further substantiate the vital role of this protein in reproductive health and disease. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature, to summarise the expression profile and roles of STC-1 within the female reproductive system and its associated pathologies. We highlight the gaps in the current knowledge and suggest potential avenues for future research. SEARCH METHODS Relevant studies were identified through searching the PubMed database using the following search terms: ‘stanniocalcin-1’, ‘placenta’, ‘ovary’, ‘endometrium’, ‘pregnancy’, ‘reproduction’, ‘early gestation’. Only English language papers published between 1995 and 2020 were included. OUTCOMES This review provides compelling evidence of the vital function that STC-1 plays within the female reproductive system. The literature presented summarise the wide expression profile of STC-1 within female reproductive organs, as well as highlighting the putative roles of STC-1 in various functions in the reproductive system. Moreover, the observed link between altered STC-1 expression and the onset of various reproductive pathologies is presented, including those in pregnancy whose aetiology occurs in the first trimester. This summary emphasises the requirement for further studies on the mechanisms underlying the regulation of STC-1 expression and function. WIDER IMPLICATIONS STC-1 is a pleiotropic hormone involved in the regulation of a number of important biological functions needed to maintain female reproductive health. There is also growing evidence that dysregulation of STC-1 is implicated in common reproductive and obstetric disorders. Greater understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of STC-1 within the field may therefore identify possible targets for therapeutic intervention and/or diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Bishop
- Centre for Vascular Biology, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London, UK
| | - Judith E Cartwright
- Centre for Vascular Biology, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London, UK
| | - Guy S Whitley
- Centre for Vascular Biology, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London, UK
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48
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Mika K, Marinić M, Singh M, Muter J, Brosens JJ, Lynch VJ. Evolutionary transcriptomics implicates new genes and pathways in human pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. eLife 2021; 10:e69584. [PMID: 34623259 PMCID: PMC8660021 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary changes in the anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system underlie the origins and diversification of pregnancy in Eutherian ('placental') mammals. This developmental and evolutionary history constrains normal physiological functions and biases the ways in which dysfunction contributes to reproductive trait diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here, we show that gene expression changes in the human endometrium during pregnancy are associated with the evolution of human-specific traits and pathologies of pregnancy. We found that hundreds of genes gained or lost endometrial expression in the human lineage. Among these are genes that may contribute to human-specific maternal-fetal communication (HTR2B) and maternal-fetal immunotolerance (PDCD1LG2) systems, as well as vascular remodeling and deep placental invasion (CORIN). These data suggest that explicit evolutionary studies of anatomical systems complement traditional methods for characterizing the genetic architecture of disease. We also anticipate our results will advance the emerging synthesis of evolution and medicine ('evolutionary medicine') and be a starting point for more sophisticated studies of the maternal-fetal interface. Furthermore, the gene expression changes we identified may contribute to the development of diagnostics and interventions for adverse pregnancy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn Mika
- Department of Human Genetics, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Mirna Marinić
- Department of Human Genetics, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Manvendra Singh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityChicagoUnited States
| | - Joanne Muter
- Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research, University Hospitals Coventry & WarwickshireCoventryUnited Kingdom
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, Warwic Medical School, University of WarwickBuffaloUnited States
| | - Jan Joris Brosens
- Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research, University Hospitals Coventry & WarwickshireCoventryUnited Kingdom
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, Warwic Medical School, University of WarwickBuffaloUnited States
| | - Vincent J Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at BuffaloBuffaloUnited States
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49
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Johns DN, Lucas CG, Pfeiffer CA, Chen PR, Meyer AE, Perry SD, Spate LD, Cecil RF, Fudge MA, Samuel MS, Spinka CM, Liu H, Lucy MC, Wells KD, Prather RS, Spencer TE, Geisert RD. Conceptus interferon gamma is essential for establishment of pregnancy in the pig. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:1577-1590. [PMID: 34608481 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in the pig is a complex process that relies on conceptus regulation of the maternal proinflammatory response to endometrial attachment. Following elongation, pig conceptuses secrete interferon gamma (IFNG) during attachment to the endometrial luminal epithelium. The objective here was to determine if conceptus production of IFNG is important for early development and establishment of pregnancy. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and somatic cell nuclear transfer technologies were used to create an IFNG loss-of-function study in pigs. Wild-type (IFNG+/+) and null (IFNG-/-) fibroblast cells were used to create embryos through somatic cell nuclear transfer. IFNG expression was not detected in IFNG-/- conceptuses on either day 15 or day 17 of pregnancy. Ablation of conceptus IFNG production resulted in the reduction of stromal CD3+ and mast cells which localized to the site of conceptus attachment on day 15. The uteri of recipients with IFNG-/- conceptuses were inflamed, hyperemic and there was an abundance of erythrocytes in the uterine lumen associated with the degenerating conceptuses. The endometrial stromal extracellular matrix was altered in the IFNG-/- embryo pregnancies and there was an increased endometrial mRNA levels for collagen XVII (COL17A1), matrilin 1 (MATN1), secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) and cysteine-rich secretory protein 3 (CRISP3), which are involved with repair and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. These results indicate conceptus IFNG production is essential in modulating the endometrial proinflammatory response for conceptus attachment and survival in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Destiny N Johns
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Caroline G Lucas
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | | | - Paula R Chen
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Ashley E Meyer
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Shelbi D Perry
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Lee D Spate
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Raissa F Cecil
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Melissa A Fudge
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Melissa S Samuel
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | | | - Hongyu Liu
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Matthew C Lucy
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Kevin D Wells
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Randall S Prather
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Thomas E Spencer
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Rodney D Geisert
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
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50
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Tian J, Zhang C, Kang N, Wang J, Kong N, Zhou J, Wu M, Ding L, Sun H, Yan G, Sheng X. Attenuated monoamine oxidase a impairs endometrial receptivity in women with adenomyosis via downregulation of FOXO1. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:1443-1457. [PMID: 34568943 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The establishment of endometrial receptivity is a prerequisite for successful pregnancy. Women with adenomyosis possess a lower chance of clinical pregnancy after assisted reproductive technology, which is partially due to impaired endometrial receptivity. The establishment of endometrial receptivity requires the participation of multiple processes, and proper endometrial epithelial cell (EEC) proliferation is indispensable. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is a key molecule that regulates neurotransmitter metabolism in the nervous system. In the present study, we demonstrated a novel role for MAOA in the establishment of endometrial receptivity in women with adenomyosis and in an adenomyotic mouse model. Attenuated MAOA impairs endometrial receptivity by promoting inappropriate proliferation of EECs via the downregulation of FOXO1 during the window of implantation. These results revealed that MAOA plays a vital role in endometrial receptivity in female reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Tian
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Chunxue Zhang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Nannan Kang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Junxia Wang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Na Kong
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Jidong Zhou
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Min Wu
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Lijun Ding
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Haixiang Sun
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, 210032 Nanjing, China
| | - Guijun Yan
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
| | - Xiaoqiang Sheng
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.,Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University
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