Regulation of surfactant protein D in the mouse female reproductive tract in vivo.
Surfactant protein D (SP-D) plays a role in innate immunity in the lung and is expressed at many other mucosal surfaces throughout the human body. In this study, we show that SP-D mRNA and protein are present in the murine female reproductive tract; i.e. in the vagina, cervix, uterus and oviduct. SP-D protein is primarily localized to epithelial cells lining the genital tract and is also present in secretory material within the lumen of the uterus and cervix. The levels of SP-D mRNA in the uterus vary by a factor of 10 during the estrous cycle with peak levels present at estrus and the lowest levels at diestrus. In contrast, SP-D mRNA levels in the lung do not change during the estrous cycle. Since SP-D is an innate host defense protein present in the mouse reproductive tract, we studied the influence of infection on SP-D levels in vivo. We found that Chlamydia muridarum infection caused an increase in the SP-D protein content of reproductive tract epithelial cells. These data are suggestive that SP-D may play a role in innate immunity in the female reproductive tract in vivo.
Oberley
Rebecca E
RE
Department of Medicine, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO 80206, USA. oberleyr@njc.org
Goss
Kelli L
KL
Hoffmann
Darren S
DS
Ault
Kevin A
KA
Neff
Traci L
TL
Ramsey
Kyle H
KH
Snyder
Jeanne M
JM
D000818:Animals; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D023502:Chlamydia muridarum / Q000254:growth & development; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D010057:Oviducts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D014621:Vagina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology
D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D012333:RNA, Messenger