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- Title
Characterization of relaxin binding in the uterus of the marmoset monkey.
- Authors
Einspanier, Almuth; Müller, Dieter; Lubberstedt, Jörn; Bartsch, Olaf; Jurdzinski, Angelika; Fuhrmann, Kerstin; Ivell, Richard
- Abstract
The ovarian peptide hormone relaxin (RLX) plays an important role in the regulation of the endometrium both during the cycle and in early pregnancy. RLX interacts with specific receptors on endometrial stromal cells causing these to decidualize. In order to characterize the molecules with which RLX interacts in the primate uterus, a methodology based on a fully bioactive preparation of biotinylated porcine RLX was applied to cryosections of the uterus of female marmoset monkeys. Specific RLX binding was weakly detected in the proliferative phase in isolated endometrial stromal cells. In the secretory phase, the positively reacting cells increased in staining intensity and in number and also included some epithelial cells. Further increases occurred in pregnancy, but RLX binding in the endometrium decreased at the end of the cycle if pregnancy did not occur. The myometrium showed weak staining which did not vary through the cycle, but increased in pregnancy. Electrophoretic analysis of the RLX-binding moieties in these tissue sections indicated that a protein of ~40 kDa was the principal RLX-binding molecule, while minor specific bands were detectable at ~100 and ~200 kDa. The binding of biotinylated RLX could be specifically suppressed by co-incubation with unlabelled RLX, but not by insulin, IGF-I or biotin. This technique therefore allows the detection and molecular characterization of specific RLX binding in the primate uterus. In the marmoset monkey, the pattern of specific binding closely reflects the RLX-dependent physiology during implantation and early pregnancy, implying the probable involvement of a specific RLX receptor.
- Subjects
RELAXIN; UTERUS; MARMOSETS
- Publication
Molecular Human Reproduction, 2001, Vol 7, Issue 10, p963
- ISSN
1360-9947
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/molehr/7.10.963