Further studies on leptin and leptin receptor expression in myometrium and uterine myomas.
OBJECTIVE
Examination of the potential role of leptin in the development of uterine myomas. Expression of the leptin gene and leptin receptor gene was tested in the myometrium of healthy women, and in myomas and the surrounding myometrium of women with benign tumors.


METHODS
Using RT-PCR, expression of the leptin gene and leptin receptor gene were studied in myomas and in the surrounding myometrium in 30 women with uterine myomas at various phases of the menstrual cycle, and in the myometrium of ten women in a control group. Presence of leptin gene proteins and leptin receptor gene proteins in the women was also examined by Western blotting.


RESULTS
Using RT-PCR, expression of the leptin gene was demonstrated both in myomas and in the surrounding myometrium. In contrast, expression of the gene could not be detected in the myometrium of healthy women. The results were confirmed by Western blotting, which documented the identical distribution of leptin proteins and leptin receptor proteins in studied tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
Demonstration of the expression of leptin genes and leptin proteins in uterine myomas and in the surrounding myometrium, and their absence in the myometrium of healthy women suggests the involvement of leptin in the development of uterine myomas.
Markowska
A
A
Department of Perinatology and Gynecology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
Rucinski
M
M
Drews
K
K
Malendowicz
L K
LK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009215:Myometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D054411:Receptors, Leptin; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
D017931:DNA Primers; C515448:LEPR protein, human; D020738:Leptin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D054411:Receptors, Leptin