title: Cyclooxygenases and prostaglandin E synthases in preimplantation mouse embryos.
abstract: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is shown to be essential for female reproduction. Cyclooxygenase (COX) is a rate-limiting enzyme in prostaglandin synthesis from arachidonic acid and exists in two isoforms: COX-1 and COX-2. Prostaglandin E synthase (PGES) is a terminal prostanoid synthase and can catalyse the isomerization of the COX product PGH2 to PGE2, including microsomal PGES-1 (mPGES-1), cytosolic PGES (cPGES) and mPGES-2. This study examined the protein expression of COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1, cPGES and mPGES-2 in preimplantation mouse embryos by immunohistochemistry. Embryos at different stages collected from oviducts or uteri were transferred into a flushed oviduct of non-pregnant mice. The oviducts containing embryos were paraffin-embedded and processed for immunostaining. COX-1 immunostaining was at a basal level in zygotes and a low level at the 2-cell stage, reaching a high level from the 4-cell to blastocyst stage. COX-2 immunostaining was at a low level at the zygote stage and was maintained at a high level from the 2-cell to blastocyst stages. A low level of mPGES-1 immunostaining was observed from the zygote to 8-cell stages. The signal for mPGES-1 immunostaining became stronger at the morula stage and was strongly seen at the blastocyst stage. cPGES immunostaining was strongly observed in zygotes, 2-cell and 8-cell embryos. There was a slight decrease in cPGES immunostaining at the 4-cell, morula and blastocyst stages. mPGES-2 immunostaining was at a low level from the zygote to morula stages and at a high level at the blastocyst stage. We found that the COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1, cPGES and mPGES-2 protein signals were all at a high level at the blastocyst stage. PGE2 produced during the preimplantation development may play roles during embryo transport and implantation.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui-Ning
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong-Lu
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Diao
authors.forename: Zeng-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism*; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D000071876:Prostaglandin-E Synthases
chemical_list: D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; D000071876:Prostaglandin-E Synthases; C000605865:Ptges protein, mouse; C000605866:Ptges2 protein, mouse