title: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) targets myeloid leukocytes in the uterus during the post-mating inflammatory response in mice.
abstract: Factors in seminal plasma elicit a surge of GM-CSF expression in uterine epithelial cells after mating in mice. This study investigates the nature of the endometrial cell populations targeted by epithelial GM-CSF. In quantitative RT-PCR studies, expression of the alpha-subunit of the GM-CSF receptor (GM-CSF-R) parallelled GM-CSF expression, being maximal during the 48 h period after mating and declining thereafter. Expression of mRNA encoding beta-common chain (AIC2B) also increased after mating and remained high until the time of embryo implantation on day 4 of pregnancy. Cells expressing GM-CSF receptors were identified in sections of uterus on the day after mating using 125I-GM-CSF, and were located predominantly in the endometrial stroma subjacent to the luminal epithelium, co-localising with abundant populations of myeloid leukocytes. Cells expressing GM-CSF receptor were identified as macrophages, granulocytes and putative dendritic cells by flow cytometric analysis using lineage and receptor subunit specific antibodies. Recombinant GM-CSF injected into the uterine lumen of ovariectomised mice was found to elicit a dose-dependant accumulation of macrophages and granulocytes in the endometrium, in a pattern of distribution comparable to that seen in uteri after natural mating. Together, these data indicate a role for epithelial cell-derived GM-CSF in mediating the recruitment and potentially in modifying the behaviour of uterine leukocytes during the post-mating inflammatory response in mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. srobertson@medicine.adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Seamark
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000187:drug effects; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007249:Inflammation; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016187:Receptors, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016187:Receptors, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor