Project description:Epithelial-stromal interactions in the uterus are required for normal uterine functions such as pregnancy, and multiple signaling pathways are essential for this process. Although Dicer and microRNAs (miRNA) have been implicated in several reproductive processes, the specific role of Dicer and miRNA in uterine development is not known. To address the roles of miRNA in the regulation of these key uterine pathways, we generated a conditional knockout (cKO) of Dicer in the postnatal uterine epithelium and stroma using progesterone receptor (PR)-Cre. These Dicer cKO are sterile with small uteri, which demonstrate significant defects including absence of glandular epithelium and enhanced stromal apoptosis, beginning at postnatal day 15 with expression of Cre and deletion of Dicer. Although these mice had normal serum steroid hormone levels, critical uterine signaling pathways, including progesterone-responsive genes, Indian hedgehog signaling, and the Wnt/Beta-catenin canonical pathway, were dysregulated at the mRNA level. Gene expression profiling data from pools of Dicer cKO and control uteri groups, at 15 days. two group comparison
Project description:Uterine glands are essential for pregnancy in mice and likely humans, because they secrete or transport bioactive substances that regulate uterine receptivity for blastocyst implantation. In mice, the uterus becomes receptive to blastocyst implantation on day 4, but is refractory by day 5. Here, blastocysts could be recovered from progesterone-induced uterine gland (PUGKO) but not wildtype (WT) mice on day 5 post-mating. Anti-adhesive Muc1 protein and microvilli were present on the luminal epithelium of PUGKO but not WT uteri. A number of known uterine receptivity genes and gland-specific genes were altered in the PUGKO uterus. Next, the uterus and uterine luminal fluid (ULF) were obtained from WT and PUGKO mice on day 3, 4 and 5. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 580 genes were decreased in the PUGKO uterus, however ULF secrotome analysis revealed that many proteins and several amino acids were increased in the PUGKO ULF. Of note, many proteins encoded by many gland-specific genes were not identified in the ULF of WT mice. These results support the ideas that uterine glands secrete factors that regulate ULF homeostasis and interact with other cell types in the uterus to influence uterine receptivity and blastocyst implantation for the establishment of pregnancy.
Project description:Epithelial-stromal interactions in the uterus are required for normal uterine functions such as pregnancy, and multiple signaling pathways are essential for this process. Although Dicer and microRNAs (miRNA) have been implicated in several reproductive processes, the specific role of Dicer and miRNA in uterine development is not known. To address the roles of miRNA in the regulation of these key uterine pathways, we generated a conditional knockout (cKO) of Dicer in the postnatal uterine epithelium and stroma using progesterone receptor (PR)-Cre. These Dicer cKO are sterile with small uteri, which demonstrate significant defects including absence of glandular epithelium and enhanced stromal apoptosis, beginning at postnatal day 15 with expression of Cre and deletion of Dicer. Although these mice had normal serum steroid hormone levels, critical uterine signaling pathways, including progesterone-responsive genes, Indian hedgehog signaling, and the Wnt/Beta-catenin canonical pathway, were dysregulated at the mRNA level.
Project description:Uterine glands and, by inference, their secretions impact uterine receptivity, blastocyst implantation, stromal cell decidualization, and placental development. Changes in gland function across the menstrual cycle are impacted by steroid hormones, estrogen and progesterone, as well as stroma-derived factors. Using an endometrial epithelial organoid (EEO) system, transcriptome and proteome analyses identified distinct responses of the EEO to steroid hormones and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Notably, steroid hormones and PGE2 modulated the basolateral secretion of EEO proteins, where cystatin C (CST3) was significantly increased by progesterone and PGE2. CST3 treatment of decidualizing stromal cells significantly decreased the decidualization markers PRL and IGFBP1. The attenuation of stromal cell decidualization via CST3 suggests a role for uterine gland-derived proteins in controlling the extent of decidualization. These findings provide evidence that uterine gland-derived factors directly impact stromal cell decidualization, which has strong implications for better understanding pregnancy establishment and female fertility in humans.
Project description:In order to gain a better understanding of Ihh action during embryo implantation, we constitutively activated Smo in the murine uterus using the PRcre mouse model (PRcre/+SmoM2+; SmoM2). Female SmoM2 mice were infertile. They exhibited normal serum progesterone levels and normal ovulation, but ova failed to be fertilized in vivo and the uterus failed to undergo the artificially induced decidual response. SmoM2 mice exhibited uterine hypertrophy. The endometrium had a reduced number of uterine glands and the endometrial stroma lost its normal morphologic characteristics. Microarray analysis of 3 month old SmoM2 uteri demonstrated a chondrocytic signature and confirmed that constitutive activation of SmoM2 increased extracellular matrix production. Thus, constitutive activation of Smo in the mouse uterus alters the extracellular matrix which interferes with early pregnancy. Keywords: two group comparison We constitutively activated Hh signaling in the uterus by the expression of a mutant SmoM2 allele. We crossed these mice to the PRcre mouse model to constitutively activate Smo in the murine uterus (PRcre/+SmoM2+; SmoM2). High density DNA microarray analysis was performed on 3 month old control and SmoM2 uteri.
Project description:We generated mice with single or double conditional inactivation of SMAD1 and SMAD5 using progesterone receptor (PR) cre (Smad1flox/flox;Smad5flox/flox;Pgr-cre+/-, or “Smad1/5 cKO”). Female mice with single SMAD1 or SMAD5 deletion were subfertile, whereas Smad1/5 cKO were infertile and had no visible implantation sites at 4.5 days post-coitum (dpc), indicating functional redundancy of SMAD1 and SMAD5. Histological and molecular analyses of the Smad1/5 cKO uteri during pregnancy determined that the infertility was the result of impaired uterine receptivity. During the window of implantation, uteri of Smad1/5 cKO mice responded abnormally to estradiol (E2) and to progesterone (P4), retained luminal PR expression, and displayed cytoplasmic FOXO1 mis-localization. Furthermore, uteri of Smad1/5 cKO mice did not respond to an artificial decidual stimulus and the stroma failed to differentiate. To determine the cell surface receptor complex that controls BMP signaling during implantation, we generated mice with conditional deletion of Acvr2a and Acvr2b using Pgr-cre+/-. We determined that Acvr2b cKO females were subfertile, while Acvr2a cKOs were infertile and displayed a range of ovarian and uterine abnormalities, including endometrial and implantation defects that phenocopied those of Smad1/5 cKO mice. Transcriptomic profiling of the Smad1/5 cKO and Acvr2a cKO uterus showed that genes involved in epithelial cell remodeling and microvilli/ciliated cell function were overrepresented in both genotypes. These results demonstrate that BMP signals mediated via ACVR2A and SMAD1/5 control endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation by remodeling the apicobasal polarity of the epithelium during the window of implantation.
Project description:Progesterone (P4) signaling through its nuclear transcription factor, the progesterone receptor (PR), is essential for normal uterine function. Although deregulation of PR mediated signaling is known to underscore uterine dysfunction and a number of endometrial pathologies, the early molecular mechanisms of this deregulation are unclear. To address this issue, we have defined the genome-wide PR and GATA2 cistrome in the murine uterus using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq). In uteri of ovariectomized mice, we identified 6367 PR binding sites in the absence of P4 ligand; however, this number increased at nearly three fold (18,432) following acute P4 exposure. Sequence analysis revealed that approximately 73% of these binding sites contain a progesterone response element (PRE) or a half-site motif recognized by the PR. Many previously identified P4 target genes known to regulate uterine function were found to contain PR binding sites, confirming the validity of our methodology. In addition we identified 46,183 GATA2 binding sites in P4 treatment conditions with 7,954 binding sites overlapping that of the PR. Examination of PR and Gata2 binding in whole or epithelial isolated mouse uterine tissue upon acute vehicle/P4 treatement
Project description:To identify genes differentially expressed in the glandless uterus, whole uteri were collected from control (uterine glands present) and PUGKO (no uterine glands) mice at day of pseudopregnancy (DOPP) 3.5 (day DOPP 0.5= vaginal plug). Microarray analysis identified differentially expressed genes in the glandless uteri of PUGKO mice as compared to control mice.