scholarly journals Endometrium on-a-chip reveals insulin- and glucose-induced alterations in the transcriptome and proteomic secretome

Endocrinology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago H C De Bem ◽  
Haidee Tinning ◽  
Elton J R Vasconcelos ◽  
Dapeng Wang ◽  
Niamh Forde

Abstract The molecular interactions between the maternal environment and the developing embryo that are key for early pregnancy success and are influenced by factors such as maternal metabolic status. Our understanding of the mechanism(s) through which these individual nutritional stressors alter endometrial function and the in utero environment for early pregnancy success is, however, limited. Here we report, for the first time, the use of an endometrium-on-a-chip microfluidics approach to produce a multi-cellular endometrium in vitro. Isolated endometrial cells (epithelial and stromal) from the uteri of non-pregnant cows in the early-luteal phase (Day 4-7), were seeded in the upper chamber of the device (epithelial cells; 4-6 10 4 cells/mL) and stromal cells seeded in the lower chamber (1.5-2 10 4 cells/mL). Exposure of cells to different concentrations of glucose (0.5, 5.0 or 50 mM) or insulin (Vehicle, 1 or 10 ng/mL) were performed at a flow rate of 1µL/min for 72 hr. Quantitative differences in the cellular transcriptome and the secreted proteome of in vitro-derived uterine luminal fluid (ULF) were determined by RNA-sequencing and Tandem Mass Tagging Mass Spectrometry (TMT-MS), respectively. High glucose concentrations altered 21 and 191 protein-coding genes in epithelial and stromal cells, respectively (p<0.05), with a dose-dependent quantitative change in the protein secretome (1 and 23 proteins). Altering insulin concentrations resulted in limited transcriptional changes including transcripts for insulin-like binding proteins that were cell specific but altered the quantitative secretion of 196 proteins. These findings highlight one potential mechanism by which changes to maternal glucose and insulin alter uterine function.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago H. C. De Bem ◽  
Haidee Tinning ◽  
Elton J. R. Vasconcelos ◽  
Dapeng Wang ◽  
Niamh Forde

ABSTRACTThe molecular interactions between the maternal environment and developing embryo that are key for early pregnancy success are known to be influenced by factors such as the metabolic status. We are, however, limited in our understanding of the mechanism by which these individual nutritional stressors alter endometrial function and the in utero environment for early pregnancy success. Here we report for the first time the use of endometrium-on-a-chip microfluidics approach to produce a multi-cellular endometrium in vitro, that is exposed to glucose and insulin concentrations associated with maternal metabolic stressors. Following isolation of endometrial cells (epithelial and stromal) from the uteri of non-pregnant cows in early-luteal phase (Day 4-7 approximately) epithelial cells were seeded into the upper chamber (4-6 104 cells/mL) and stromal cells seeded in the lower chamber (1.5-2 104 cells/mL). Three different concentration of glucose 1) 0.5 mM 2) 5.0 mM or 3) 50 mM or insulin 1) Vehicle, 2) 1 ng/mL or 3) 10 ng/mL were performed in the endometrial cells at a flow rate of 1µL/min for 72 hr to mimic the rate of secretion in vivo. Quantitative differences in the transcriptomic response of the cells and the secreted proteome of in vitro-derived uterine luminal fluid (ULF) were determined by RNA-sequencing and TMT respectively. Changes in maternal glucose altered 21 and 191 protein coding genes in epithelial and stromal cells respectively (p<0.05). While there was a dose-dependent quantitative change in protein secretome (1 and 23 proteins). Insulin resulted in limited transcriptional changes including insulin-like binding proteins that were cell specific (5, 12, and 20) but altered the quantitative secretion of 196 proteins including those involved in extracellular matrix-receptor interaction and proteoglycan signaling in cancer. Collectively, these highlight the potential mechanism by which changes to maternal glucose and insulin alter uterine function.


1990 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
LA Salamonsen ◽  
JK Findlay

Prostaglandin (PG) synthase has been localized by immunocytochemistry within the ovine uterus throughout the oestrous cycle and in early pregnancy. On Day 4 of the cycle, PG synthase was located primarily in the stromal cells in caruncular and intercaruncular tissue with little staining in the epithelium. On Days 14 through to 16, the most intense staining was in the luminal epithelial cells (caruncular and intercaruncular) and in epithelial cells of glands close to the uterine lumen. PG synthase was also located in the intercaruncular stromal cells, particularly close to the myometrium. Staining for the enzyme on Day 10 was intermediate between that of Day 4 and Day 14. On Day 15 of pregnancy, the pattern of staining was identical to that on Day 15 of the cycle, with no detectable difference in intensity. When endometrial cells (cycle, Day 14) were cultured with and without ovine trophoblast protein-1 (3 ng mL-1) in vitro, release of PGE and PGF2 alpha was attenuated (54% and 47% of control respectively) but no differences were observed in the intensity of staining for PG synthase in the cells. These results demonstrate marked cyclical changes in the endometrial cell types producing PGs, suggesting differential regulation of PG synthase. In addition, it appears that conceptus-induced changes in PGF2 alpha release do not occur via changes in the concentration or cellular localization of PG synthase, but rather that the activity of the enzyme is modified.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Z. Szóstek ◽  
Antonio M. Galvão ◽  
Takuo Hojo ◽  
Kiyoshi Okuda ◽  
Dariusz J. Skarzynski

The aim of the present study was to investigate the interaction between ovarian steroids, interleukins and prostaglandins (PG) in equine epithelial and stromal cells in vitro. In Experiment 1, cells were exposed to IL-1α(10 ng/mL), IL-1β(10 ng/mL) or IL-6 (10 ng/mL) for 24 h and cell proliferation was determined using MTT. In Experiment 2, cells were exposed to progesterone (P4; 10−7 M); 17-βestradiol (E2; 10−9 M) or P4+E2for 24 h and later medium was replaced with a fresh one treated with IL-1α, IL-1βor IL-6 (10 ng/mL, each) for 24 h. The oxytocin (OT; 10−7 M) was used as a positive control. In Experiment 3, cells were exposed to P4(10−7 M), E2(10−9 M) or P4+E2for 24 h and theIL receptormRNAs transcription was determined using Real-time PCR. Prostaglandins concentration was determined using the direct enzyme immunoassay (EIA) method. Our findings reveal a functional linking between ovarian steroids and IL-stimulated PG secretion by equine endometrial cells. This interaction could be one of the mechanisms responsible for endometrial local orchestrating events during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy.


2004 ◽  
Vol 181 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
AA Fouladi Nashta ◽  
CV Andreu ◽  
N Nijjar ◽  
JK Heath ◽  
SJ Kimber

Decidualisation of uterine stromal cells is a prerequisite for implantation of the embryo in mice. Here we have used an in vitro culture system in which stromal cells decidualise as indicated by a number of markers, including an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The latter was used as a quantitative marker of decidualisation in the presence of low (2%) fetal calf serum. Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), which is known to induce decidualisation, increased ALP activity, and this effect was blocked in a dose-dependent manner by indomethacin. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) was then examined, but it had no effect on PGE(2) secretion. However, LIF suppressed ALP activity in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of 2% serum, while an inhibitor of LIF that competes for binding to its receptor reversed the effect of LIF and increased ALP activity above the control level. In serum-free cultures, stromal cells differentiated rapidly, and no differences were observed between LIF-treated and untreated cultures. Stromal cells produce LIF during in vitro culture, and this peaked at 48 h. Freshly collected stromal cells from both day-2 and -4 pregnant mice expressed mRNA for the LIF receptor, and the transcript level was higher in cells isolated on day 4. However, no differences were observed in the relative levels of transcripts in cells from day 2 and day 4 after culture, nor were there differences between the LIF-treated cultures and controls. Therefore, in this study, we have shown that LIF suppresses decidualisation of murine uterine stromal cells in the presence of serum, this is not due to the regulation of PGE(2) secretion by stromal cells.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa Dyugovskaya ◽  
Slava Berger ◽  
Andrey Polyakov ◽  
Peretz Lavie ◽  
Lena Lavie

Previously we identified, for the first time, a new small-size subset of neutrophil-derived giant phagocytes (Gϕ) which spontaneously developin vitrowithout additional growth factors or cytokines. Gϕare CD66b+/CD63+/MPO+/LC3B+and are characterized by extended lifespan, large phagolysosomes, active phagocytosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and autophagy largely controls their formation. Hypoxia, and particularly hypoxia/reoxygenation, is a prominent feature of many pathological processes. Herein we investigated Gϕformation by applying various hypoxic conditions. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) (29 cycles/day for 5 days) completely abolished Gϕformation, while acute IH had dose-dependent effects. Exposure to 24 h (56 IH cycles) decreased their size, yield, phagocytic ability, autophagy, mitophagy, and gp91-phox/p22-phoxexpression, whereas under 24 h sustained hypoxia (SH) the size and expression of LC3B and gp91-phox/p22-phoxresembled Gϕformed in normoxia. Diphenyl iodide (DPI), a NADPH oxidase inhibitor, as well as the PI3K/Akt and autophagy inhibitor LY294002 abolished Gϕformation at all oxygen conditions. However, the potent antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) abrogated the effects of IH by inducing large CD66b+/LC3B+Gϕand increased both NADPH oxidase expression and phagocytosis. These findings suggest that NADPH oxidase, autophagy, and the PI3K/Akt pathway are involved in Gϕdevelopment.


Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Lubawy ◽  
Arkadiusz Urbański ◽  
Lucyna Mrówczyńska ◽  
Eliza Matuszewska ◽  
Agata Światły-Błaszkiewicz ◽  
...  

Melittin (MEL) is a basic polypeptide originally purified from honeybee venom. MEL exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activity. However, almost all studies on MEL activity have been carried out on vertebrate models or cell lines. Recently, due to cheap breeding and the possibility of extrapolating the results of the research to vertebrates, insects have been used for various bioassays and comparative physiological studies. For these reasons, it is valuable to examine the influence of melittin on insect physiology. Here, for the first time, we report the immunotropic and cardiotropic effects of melittin on the beetle Tenebrio molitor as a model insect. After melittin injection at 10−7 M and 10−3 M, the number of apoptotic cells in the haemolymph increased in a dose-dependent manner. The pro-apoptotic action of MEL was likely compensated by increasing the total number of haemocytes. However, the injection of MEL did not cause any changes in the percent of phagocytic haemocytes or in the phenoloxidase activity. In an in vitro bioassay with a semi-isolated Tenebrio heart, MEL induced a slight chronotropic-positive effect only at a higher concentration (10−4 M). Preliminary results indicated that melittin exerts pleiotropic effects on the functioning of the immune system and the endogenous contractile activity of the heart. Some of the induced responses in T. molitor resemble the reactions observed in vertebrate models. Therefore, the T. molitor beetle may be a convenient invertebrate model organism for comparative physiological studies and for the identification of new properties and mechanisms of action of melittin and related compounds.


Reproduction ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan-Tong Liu ◽  
Hui-Ting Sun ◽  
Zhong-Fang Zhang ◽  
Ru-Xia Shi ◽  
Li-Bing Liu ◽  
...  

It has been reported that the impaired cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells and abnormal cytokines that are changed by the interaction between ectopic endometrial cells and immune cells is indispensable for the initiation and development of endometriosis (EMS). However, the mechanism of NK cells dysfunction in EMS remains largely unclear. Here, we found that NK cells in peritoneal fluid from women with EMS highly expressed indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). Furthermore, IDO+NK cells possessed lower NKp46 and NKG2D but higher IL-10 than that of IDO-NK. Co-culture with endometrial stromal cells (nESCs) from healthy control or ectopic ESCs (eESCs) from women with EMS led to a significant increase in the IDO level in NK cells from peripheral blood, particularly eESCs, and an anti-TGF-β neutralizing antibody suppressed these effects in vitro. NK cells co-cultured with ESC more preferentially inhibited the viability of nESCs than eESCs did, and pretreating with 1-methyl-tryptophan (1-MT), an IDO inhibitor, reversed the inhibitory effect of NK cells on eESC viability. These data suggest that ESCs induce IDO+NK cells differentiation partly by TGF-β, and that IDO further restricts the cytotoxicity of NK cells in response to eESCs, which provides a potential therapeutic strategy for EMS patients, particularly those with a high number of impaired cytotoxic IDO+NK cells.


Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Avdeeva ◽  
Elvira Shults ◽  
Tatyana Rybalova ◽  
Yaroslav Reshetov ◽  
Ekaterina Porokhova ◽  
...  

4-oxo-4H-pyran-2.6-dicarboxylic acid (chelidonic acid, ChA) in the native state and in the complex with calcium [Ca(ChA)(H2O)3], named saucalchelin (CaChA), was isolated from the extract of Saussurea controversa leaves for the first time for the Asteraceae family. The structure of ChA was determined by NMR, MS and confirmed by X-ray analysis of its monomethyl ester, and CaChA was described by IR, ICP-MS, CHN analysis. The yield of ChA and CaChA was 45 mg/g and 70 mg/g of extract, respectively. The osteogenic activity of ChA, n-monobutyl ester of chelidonic acid, and CaChA has been studied in vitro in a 21-day culture of human adipose-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMMSCs) in a standard nutrient medium without osteogenic supplements. CaChA significantly stimulated the growth of cell mass and differentiation of hAMMSCs into osteoblasts with subsequent mineralization of the culture and it may be a promising substance for accelerating bone tissue regeneration and engineering.


Reproduction ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 151 (6) ◽  
pp. 683-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla A Piccinato ◽  
Rosa M Neme ◽  
Natália Torres ◽  
Lívia Renta Sanches ◽  
Priscilla Bento Mattos Cruz Derogis ◽  
...  

Abstract Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disease affecting up to 10% of all premenopausal women. There is evidence that different endometriosis sites show distinct local estrogen concentration, which, in turn, might be due to a unique local estrogen metabolism. We aimed to investigate whether there was a site-specific regulation of selected enzymes responsible for the oxidative metabolism of estrogens in biopsy samples and endometrial and endometriotic stromal cells. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 and CYP1B1 mRNA and protein expressions in deep-infiltrating (rectal, retossigmoidal, and uterossacral) lesions, superficial (ovarian and peritoneal) lesions, and eutopic and healthy (control) endometrium were evaluated by real-time PCR and western blot. Using a cross-sectional study design with 58 premenopausal women who were not under hormonal treatment, we were able to identify an overall increased CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 mRNA expression in superficial lesions compared with the healthy endometrium. CYP1A1 mRNA expression in superficial lesions was also greater than in the eutopic endometrium. Interestingly, we found a similar pattern of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 expression in in vitro stromal cells isolated from ovarian lesions (n=3) when compared with stromal cells isolated from either rectum lesions or eutopic endometrium. In contradiction, there was an increased half-life of estradiol (measured by HPLC-MS-MS) in ovarian endometriotic stromal cells compared with paired eutopic stromal endometrial cells. Our results indicate that there is a site-dependent regulation of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 in ovarian/peritoneal lesions and ovarian endometriotic stromal cells, whereas a slower metabolism is taking place in these cells.


2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1032-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Kong ◽  
Y Tian ◽  
W Zhu ◽  
S Su ◽  
Y Kan

The effects of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) selective inhibitors on the proliferation of ectopic endometrial stromal cells in vitro were investigated. Ectopic endometrial stromal cells were treated with either celecoxib or nimesulide for 24 and 48 h. The results showed that (i) both celecoxib and nimesulide inhibited the proliferation of ectopic endometrial stromal cells in vitro in a time- and dose-dependent manner; (ii) the expression of prostaglandin E2 was significantly inhibited by both celecoxib and nimesulide in a dose-dependent manner; (iii) the percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly higher for cells treated with celecoxib or nimesulide than for untreated cells; and (iv) the percentage of the cells in the G0/G1 phase increased after the cells were treated with either agent in a dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that celecoxib and nimesulide inhibited proliferation of ectopic endometrial stromal cells by inducing apoptosis and blocking the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase.


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