Increased expression of stathmin in eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis.
BACKGROUND
Stathmin was identified as an endometriosis-related protein by comparative proteomics in our previous study. As a microtubule-destabilizing factor, stathmin was shown to participate in the relay and integration of diverse intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and many other cellular activities. To investigate whether stathmin is involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, we examined the expression of stathmin in eutopic endometrium of women with or without endometriosis.


METHODS
Eutopic endometrium samples were collected from thirty-six patients who were diagnosed as endometriosis and the nineteen age-matched patients who were confirmed to be free of endometriosis surgically and histologically. The expression of stathmin mRNA was detected by real-time PCR, and its protein was detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
Stathmin was overexpressed in eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis detected by real-time PCR in mRNA levels and by Western blotting in protein levels, without significant difference between proliferative and secretory phase. Immunohistochemistry showed that stathmin protein was localized in both endometrial glandular and stromal cells throughout the menstrual cycle.


CONCLUSIONS
Stathmin is overexpressed in endometrium of patients with endometriosis and may play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
Li
Chun-yan
CY
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China.
Liu
Hai-yuan
HY
Lang
Jing-he
JH
Wang
Hong-qing
HQ
Fan
Xiu-ling
XL
D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D050777:Stathmin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D050777:Stathmin