title: Expression of a putative stem cell marker Musashi-1 in endometrium.
abstract: Firstly to examine the expression characteristics of Musashi (Msi)-1 in fetal endometrium, reproductive normal endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrioid adenocarcinoma, next, to focus on exploring the possibility that Msi-1 serves as a marker of the endometrial stem cells in-situ.
  
  
  
  Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of Msi-1 in 20 cases of fetal endometrium, 20 cases of normal endometrium, 20 cases of endometrial hyperplasia and 50 cases of endometrioid adenocarcinoma respectively.
  
  
  
  In fetal endometrium, Msi-1 positive cells were observed from the 12th week in epithelium, but the number of Msi-1 positive cells decreased with an increase in gestational age. In reproductive normal endometrium, Msi-1 expression presented as dispersed single cell and cell groups in the stroma adjacent to the myometrium. In endometrial hyperplasia and endometrioid adenocarcinoma, Msi-1 expression significantly increased and was more widely distributed.
  
  
  
  Msi-1 positive cells mainly lie in the stroma of normal endometrium, and the distribution pattern is consistent with that of the speculated endometrial stem cells. The high expression of Msi-1 in fetal endometrium and endometrioid adenocarcinoma suggests that Msi-1 positive cells have several characteristics of stem cells, such as high proliferative potentiality and multipotency. Considering these factors, this makes Msi-1 potentially a promising stem cell marker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. tluxye@jnu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Xiaoye
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Huijuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Xuesong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D004714:Endometrial Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C491297:MSI1 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins