ABSTRACT: Transcriptional Profiling of Human Endocervical Tissues Reveals Distinct Gene Expression in the Follicular and Luteal Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
Project description:We conducted a prospective, open-label study to determine the effect of the NuvaRing on gene expression in the endocervix and immune-related protein expression in cervicovaginal secretions. Women provided endocervical cytobrush samples during the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle (as determined by progesterone levels) as well as during NuvaRing use. Gene expression was measured using Illumina Human HT12 v4 BeadChip microarrays. We compared the NuvaRing visit to each phase of the menstrual cycle separately, as well as follicular and luteal phase samples to each other, adjusting for technical batch, presence of blood in vaginal discharge, and BV status by Nugent score, and blocking on participant. We found that gene expression in the endocervical canal changed across the menstrual cycle and in response to NuvaRing use. In particular, we observed a continuum of expression of immune-related genes and gene sets in the endocervical canal: highest during NuvaRing use, intermediate in the follicular phase, and lowest in the luteal phase.
Project description:The goal of this study was to identify genes differentially expressed in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle in the human endocervix and to identify significantly represented biological pathways and processes. This was done in order to better understand mechanisms associated with hormonal regulation of endocervix function which has implications in susceptibility to infections.
Project description:The human menstrual cycle can be divided into two major phases by the event of ovulation. Before ovulation, in the proliferative or follicular phase, the endometrium proliferates under the influence of estradiol produced by growing ovarian follicles. After ovulation, in the secretory or luteal phase, ovarian progesterone produced by the newly formed corpus luteum drives a process of differentiation during which the endometrium becomes competent to receive and support the growth of the embryo. Single-cell analyses at the RNA level from our group and others have begun to decipher cell-type specific expression in the endometrium. How these events are controlled at the chromatin level remains elusive, however. In this study, we applied single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (scATAC-seq) to profile the epigenetic landscapes of human endometrial samples across the menstrual cycle.
Project description:Our earlier studies in pig-tailed macaques demonstrated varying SHIV susceptibility during the menstrual cycle, likely caused by cyclic variations in immune responses in the female genital tract. There is concern that high-dose, long-lasting, injectable progestin-based contraception could mimic the luteal phase and predispose women to HIV-1 acquisition and transmission. In this study, we adopted a systems biology approach employing proteomics (tandem mass spectrometry), transcriptomics (RNA microarray hybridization), and other specific protein assays (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and multiplex chemokine-cytokine measurements) to characterize the effects of hormonal changes on the expression of innate factors and secreted proteins in the macaque vagina. Several antiviral factors and pathways (including acute phase response signaling and complement system) were overexpressed in the follicular phase. Conversely, during the luteal phase there were factors overexpressed (including moesins, syndecans, integrins, among others) that could play direct or indirect roles in enhancing HIV-1 infection. Thus, our study showed that specific pathways and proteins/genes might be working in tandem to regulate innate immunity, thus fostering further investigation and future design of approaches to help counter HIV-1 acquisition in the female genital tract. Samples were hybridized to Affymetrix GeneChip® Rhesus Macaque Genome Arrays. Vaginal pinch biopsies were collected from 12 pig-tailed macaques at both the follicular and luteal phases. The data from one animal suggested low RNA quality and was excluded.
Project description:The objectives of the study: 1. Does the phase of the menstrual cycle alter microRNA (miRNA) plasma profiles in healthy women of reproductive age and in women with endometriosis? 2. Does this alter prospects for development of a miRNA-based diagnostic test for endometriosis? Prospectively recruited asymptomatic control women and women with surgically diagnosed endometriosis (n = 8 in each group) were included. Each patient provided blood samples in the early proliferative, late proliferative and mid luteal phases of the menstrual cycle (n = 47 total plasma samples). The cycle phase was verified by hormonal profile. RNA was extracted from each sample and expression of microRNAs was assessed using TaqMan Low Density Human miRNA arrays.
Project description:Alterations in endometrial DNA methylation profile have been proposed as one potential mechanism initiating the development of endometriosis. However, the normal endometrial methylome is influenced by the cyclic hormonal changes and the menstrual cycle phase-dependent epigenetic signature should be considered when studying endometrial disorders. So far, no studies have been performed to evaluate the menstrual cycle influences and endometriosis-specific endometrial methylation pattern at the same time. Therefore, we used Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases. Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays were used to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases from 24 patients with endometriosis
Project description:The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the expression of mRNA sequences in samples of endometrial glandular epithelium taken at discrete points in the menstrual cycle of healthy female subjects. This study was approved by the Erasme Hospital Ethics Committee and was conducted at the Pfizer Clinical Research Unit at the Erasme hospital, Brussels. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principals for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, adopted by the General Assembly of the World Medical Association (1996). In addition, the study was conducted in accordance with the protocol, the principles of the International Conference on Harmonization guideline on Good Clinical Practice and applicable local regulatory requirements and laws. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in this study prior to screen. Female healthy subjects were between 20 and 39 years of age and had a regular menstrual cycle. A total of 23 endometrial biopsies were taken from women at different stages of their menstrual cycle (mid & late follicular; early & mid luteal phases) by pipelle catheter. Glandular epithelium was laser capture microdissected and total RNA was purified, labelled and hybridized to Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2 chips using standard protocols. The resulting data were subjected to a principal component analysis and assessment by a proprietary methodology, the causal reasoning engine. Using this analysis we describe new progesterone marker genes and a robust methodology which may be useful for identifying endometrial pharmacological response genes or diagnostic disease markers. A single sample was taken from each of 20 human subjects at time points across the menstrual cycle.
Project description:Despite extensive studies suggesting increased susceptibility to HIV during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, there is limited knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved. We aimed to explore the ectocervical and endocervical tissue transcriptomes during the proliferative and secretory phases of the cycle using RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to identify potential signatures of susceptibility to HIV. We utilized hysterectomy tissue specimens from subjects not using hormonal contraception/treatment for gynecological conditions. Ectocervical (n=10) and endocervical tissues (n=15) were used for this study. The cycle phase was determined by assessing the histopathology of hematoxylin-and-eosin stained sections of the endometrial mucosa by gynecologic pathologists. Total RNA was isolated from tissues frozen in RNAlater (Ambion) following manufacturer’s instructions (Qiagen RNeasy Fibrous Tissue Mini Kit). After extraction, the quality and the purity of the RNA were measured by the Agilent Bioanalyzer (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA). RNA was labeled and sequenced at the RU Genomics center by using Illumina TruSeq technology (75bp, >30M coverage). The data were analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software (QIAGEN Inc., https://www.qiagenbioinformatics.com/products/ingenuitypathway-analysis). To inquire into changes in gene expression irrespectively of p-value cut off, pre-ranked genes based on proliferative vs. secretory phase expression were subjected to Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) against the Hallmark Gene sets (H) and Immunologic Signatures Gene sets (collection C7) from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB)(http://software.broadinstitute.org/gsea/msigdb/index.jsp). Our data show menstrual cycle phase-associated changes in the transcriptomic landscape of the endocervix and ectocervix, some of which may contribute to changes in HIV susceptibility.
Project description:Progestin-based contraception may increase the risk of vaginal HIV acquisition to a level greater than the progesterone-rich luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, which has been demonstrated to have a significantly higher transmission rate compared to the follicular phase. We used pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) model to evaluate the effects of administration of the oral the combined oral contraceptives (COCs) depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and levonorgestrel (LNG) on mucosal factors that influence HIV susceptibility. We compared the pH and vaginal epithelial thickness data from previous studies, and evaluated contraception-induced molecular changes in the vagina using transcriptional and cytokine profiling. The administration of DMPA caused a pronounced thinning of the vaginal epilthelium relative to measurements takein in the follicular or luteal phase. DMPA also induced a significant increase in vaginal IL10 expression. Lastly, using RNA-Seq analyses of vaginal biopsies, we noted that both DMPA- and LNG-based contraception induced a signature of gene expression similar to that of the luteal phase, only more exacerbated, and including widespread down-regulation of HIV-restriction genes. Use of progestin-based contraception might engender a milieu that poses an increased risk of HIV transmission than that of the luteal phase via vaginal thinning, induction of immunosuppressive cytokines, and widespread suppression of HIV restriction factors.