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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on August 18, 2006
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/del331
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© The Author 2006. 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
Received February 1, 2006
Revised July 12, 2006
Accepted July 17, 2006

Article

Secretory endometrium highly expresses urocortin messenger RNA and peptide: possible role in the decidualization process

M. Torricelli 1, G. De Falco 2, P. Florio 1, M. Rossi 1, E. Leucci 1, P. Viganò 3, L. Leoncini 2, and F. Petraglia 1 *

1 Department of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine
2 Department of Human Pathology and Oncology, University of Siena, Siena
3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
F. Petraglia, E-mail: petraglia{at}unisi.it


  Abstract

BACKGROUND: Urocortin (UCN) gene expression and synthesis have been reported in epithelial and stromal cells of the human endometrium. In this study we evaluated (i) UCN messenger RNA (mRNA) expression and peptide production in uterine specimens collected throughout the endometrial cycle, (ii) UCN secretion after decidualization of cultured human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) and (iii) the effect of UCN on endometrial decidualization. METHODS: HESCs were isolated from samples of human endometrium collected from healthy patients with normal menstrual cycle and cultured in presence of cAMP, 17-beta-estradiol (E2) + medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and UCN. UCN levels were measured in endometrial extracts by an enzyme immunoassay, and changes of endometrial UCN mRNA expression were measured by RT-PCR analysis. RESULTS: UCN peptide concentrations and mRNA expression were highest in the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle (P < 0.001, late secretory versus early and late proliferative phase) and higher in the late than the early secretory phase (P < 0.01). After decidualization of HESC with cAMP or E2 + MPA, UCN levels rose in parallel with prolactin concentrations by days 6 (P < 0.01, for all). Finally, the addition of UCN to HESCs, with or without E2 + MPA, induced the release of prolactin. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence that (i) UCN is highly expressed in the secretory phase of the endometrial cycle; (ii) cAMP and E2 + MPA modulate secretion of UCN and (iii) UCN induces HESCs decidualization together suggest a possible role for UCN in endometrial physiology.

Keywords: corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor/decidualization/endometrium/urocortin.
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