title: Human endometriosis is associated with plasma cells and overexpression of B lymphocyte stimulator.
abstract: Endometriosis affects 10-20% of women of reproductive age and is associated with pelvic pain and infertility, and its pathogenesis is not well understood. We used genomewide transcriptional profiling to characterize endometriosis and found that it exhibits a gene expression signature consistent with an underlying autoimmune mechanism. Endometriosis lesions are characterized by the presence of abundant plasma cells, many of which produce IgM, and macrophages that produce BLyS/BAFF/TNFSF13B, a member of the TNF superfamily implicated in other autoimmune diseases. B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) protein was found elevated in the serum of endometriosis patients. These observations suggest a model for the pathology of endometriosis where BLyS-responsive plasma cells interact with retrograde menstrual tissues to give rise to endometriosis lesions.
authors.affiliation: Neurocrine Biosciences, Department of Discovery Biology, San Diego, CA 92130, USA.
authors.forename: Aniko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hever
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hevezi
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.forename: Jose A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grigoriadis
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Conlon
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zlotnik
mesh_terms: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D053301:B-Cell Maturation Antigen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D053301:B-Cell Maturation Antigen; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human