title: Expression of leukemia inhibitory factor and its receptor is not altered in the decidua and chorionic villi of human anembryonic pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Uterine expression of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is absolutely essential for mouse, and critical for human, embryo implantation. However LIF is not required for post-implantation development of mouse embryo. The objective of this study was to examine the role of LIF system in post-implantation stage of human pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tissues from 25 patients with anembryonic pregnancy (AP; blighted ovum) and 25 matched patients with normal pregnancy (NP) were collected. LIF and its receptor beta (LIF-Rbeta) expression in the decidua and chorionic villi were analyzed by semi-quantitative reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LIF mRNA levels were not different either between different tissues (decidua vs chorionic villi) or between different patients (NP vs AP). LIF-Rbeta mRNA levels were significantly higher in chorionic villi than in decidua but were not different between NP and AP. Immunohistochemical staining supported these findings and showed a predominate expression of LIF-Rbeta in the trophoblast cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study concluded that at early human post-implantation stage, LIF is produced from both decidua and chorionic villi and may exert its major action on trophoblasts. A baseline expression of LIF and LIF-Rbeta is probably needed for early pregnancy, but AP cannot be accounted for by the defective expression of either LIF or LIF-Rbeta in most circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine and the Hospital, National Taiwan University.
authors.forename: Hsin-Fu
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kuang-Han
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Jin-Yuh
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Shew
authors.forename: Yu-Shih
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hong-Nerng
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000378:metabolism*; D003199:Computer Systems; D003656:Decidua / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D053680:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptor alpha Subunit; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053606:Receptors, OSM-LIF
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; C507837:LIF protein, human; C507840:LIFR protein, human; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D053680:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptor alpha Subunit; C507838:Lif protein, mouse; C507841:Lifr protein, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D053606:Receptors, OSM-LIF