title: Expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x, Mcl-1, Bax and Bak in human uterine leiomyomas and myometrium during the menstrual cycle and after menopause.
abstract: To investigate the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x, Mcl-1, Bax and Bak proteins in human uterine leiomyomas and homologous myometrium during the menstrual cycle and after menopause. The expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x, Mcl-1, Bax and Bak in leiomyomas (n=24) and myometrial samples (n=22) from women with leiomyomas was measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Measured by immunohistochemistry, a significant difference between leiomyomas and myometrium was observed only for the Bax protein, in tissues obtained from women in the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. The Bcl-2 staining was more abundant in leiomyomas than in myometrium only in tissues obtained in the proliferative phase of the cycle. Bcl-2 was more abundant in leiomyomas from women of fertile age than in leiomyomas from menopausal women. No significant differences were observed for the Bcl-x or Bak proteins, whereas the Mcl-1 protein was significantly less abundant in secretory phase leiomyomas than in leiomyomas from menopausal women. Western blot analysis based on pools of tissue extracts from the different groups essentially confirmed the data obtained by immunohistochemistry. Bcl-2 family proteins are expressed in leiomyomas and myometrium in different phases related to and influenced by gonadal steroids. These proteins are suggested to interact with each other in the regulation of programmed cell death, apoptosis, but their specific role in growth control of uterine leiomyomas remains to be investigated.
authors.affiliation: Section for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden. xuxia.wu@kbh.ki.se
authors.forename: Xuxia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blanck
authors.forename: Matts
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olovsson
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindblom
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008593:Menopause / Q000378:metabolism; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein; D009215:Myometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: C494772:BAK1 protein, human; C494826:BAX protein, human; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein