Skip Navigation


Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on February 6, 2009
Human Reproduction 2009 24(5):1126-1132; doi:10.1093/humrep/dep015
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF )
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
24/5/1126    most recent
dep015v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Yamagata, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Sugino, N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Yamagata, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Sugino, N.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

DNA methyltransferase expression in the human endometrium: down-regulation by progesterone and estrogen

Yoshiaki Yamagata, Hiromi Asada, Isao Tamura, Lifa Lee, Ryo Maekawa, Ken Taniguchi, Toshiaki Taketani, Aki Matsuoka, Hiroshi Tamura and Norihiro Sugino1

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Minamikogushi 1-1-1, Ube 755-8505, Japan

1 Correspondence address. Tel: +81-836-22-2286; Fax: +81 836-22-2287; E-mail: sugino{at}yamaguchi-u.ac.jp

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic regulation may be involved in modulation of gene expression during the normal cyclic changes of the human endometrium. We investigated expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in endometrium during the menstrual cycle and the influence of sex steroid hormones on DNMT in endometrial stromal cells (ESC) in culture.

METHODS: Expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b was assessed by immunohistochemistry and real-time RT–PCR in endometrial tissue (n = 42 women). ESC (n = 3 women) were cultured with estradiol and medroxyprogesterone acetate (E + MPA) for 17 days, and DNMT mRNA levels were measured by real-time RT–PCR.

RESULTS: Nuclei of both epithelial and stromal cells immunostained for DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b during each phase of the menstrual cycle. Tissue levels of DNMT1 and DNMT3a mRNA were significantly lower in the mid-secretory phase than in the proliferative phase (P < 0.01). For DNMT3b, the change in mRNA levels showed a similar trend to that for DNMT3a. In ESC culture, DNMT3a and DNMT3b mRNA levels were significantly decreased by E + MPA treatment (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively) at Day 8 and Day 17.

CONCLUSIONS: DNMT mRNAs declined in the human endometrium during the secretory phase, and E + MPA down-regulated DNMT3a and DNMT3b mRNAs in ESC in culture. These results suggest that DNMTs have regulatory functions in gene expression that is associated with decidualization.

Key words: DNA methyltransferase/endometrium/endometrial stromal cell/decidualization

Submitted on September 3, 2008; resubmitted on November 18, 2008; accepted on January 13, 2009.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Biol. Reprod.Home page
T. Homma, M. Sakakibara, S. Yamada, M. Kinoshita, K. Iwata, J. Tomikawa, T. Kanazawa, H. Matsui, Y. Takatsu, T. Ohtaki, et al.
Significance of Neonatal Testicular Sex Steroids to Defeminize Anteroventral Periventricular Kisspeptin Neurons and the GnRH/LH Surge System in Male Rats
Biol Reprod, December 1, 2009; 81(6): 1216 - 1225.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum Mol GenetHome page
E. W. Tobi, L.H. Lumey, R. P. Talens, D. Kremer, H. Putter, A. D. Stein, P. E. Slagboom, and B. T. Heijmans
DNA methylation differences after exposure to prenatal famine are common and timing- and sex-specific
Hum. Mol. Genet., November 1, 2009; 18(21): 4046 - 4053.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.