title: Abnormal interleukin-1 receptor type II gene expression in the endometrium of women with endometriosis.
abstract: Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is a major proinflammatory cytokine that is believed to play a central role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. The IL-1 receptor type II (IL-1RII) is known to bind to IL-1 and to inhibit its biological effects. In our previous studies, we showed that human endometrium expresses IL-1RII, and we observed reduced expression of the protein in women with endometriosis. The aim of this study was to investigate IL-1RII mRNA in the endometrial tissue of normal women (n = 26) and of patients with various degrees of endometriosis (n = 53). In situ hybridization showed that IL-1RII mRNA expression was significantly decreased in endometriosis, particularly during the early stages of the disease (stages I and II). This was quite obvious in both glandular and stromal cells, and it was corroborated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of IL-1RII mRNA in the endometrial tissue of women with (n = 10) and without (n = 8) endometriosis. The reduced levels of IL-1RII mRNA in the endometrium of women suffering from endometriosis reveals a profound defect in IL-1RII gene expression and, consequently, a reduced capability of endometrial tissue to down-regulate IL-1 activity. Defective IL-1RII gene expression during the early stages of endometriosis (stages I and II) may contribute to the etiology of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Endocrinologie de la Reproduction, Centre de Recherche, Hôpital Saint-François d'Assise, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1L 3L5.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kharfi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akoum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D053574:Receptors, Interleukin-1 Type II; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D007375:Interleukin-1; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1; D053574:Receptors, Interleukin-1 Type II; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases