title: Variant progesterone receptor mRNAs are co-expressed with the wild-type progesterone receptor mRNA in human endometrium during all phases of the menstrual cycle.
abstract: Progesterone receptor (PR) variant mRNAs in human endometrium could encode proteins with the potential to alter progesterone action in states of normal and abnormal endometrial development. We have assessed the expression levels of mRNA for the wild-type PR and splice variants of PR mRNA lacking exon 4 (del-4 PR), exon 6 (del-6 PR), exons 4 and 6 (del-4&6 PR), and part of exon 4 (del-p4 PR) or part of exon 6 (del-p6 PR) in the human endometrium throughout menstrual cycle development. Eighty-eight endometrial specimens (47 proliferative, 41 secretory) were collected from patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynaecologic causes. Measurements by RT-PCR indicated that mRNAs for wild-type PR, and splice variants del-4 PR, del-6 PR, del-4&6 PR, del-p6 PR, and a novel del-p4 PR were detected in all endometrial specimens throughout the menstrual cycle. Higher levels of wild-type PR and all PR variant mRNAs were found in the early and mid-proliferative endometrial phases than in secretory endometrium. The relative expression of mRNA for all PR variants compared to wild-type PR mRNA, however, did not change through all stages of endometrial development. We, therefore, found no evidence of differential co-expression of the PR variants compared with wild-type PR during normal menstrual development. Future studies will determine if the expression profile of PR variant mRNAs will be different in the endometrium of patients with infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, or endometrial adenocarcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC 28232, USA. paul.marshburn@carolinashealthcare.org
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Marshburn
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bahrani-Mostafavi
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Hurst
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004717:Endometrium / Q000502:physiology*; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000235:genetics*; D012016:Reference Values; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone