title: Differential expression and regulation of angiopoietin-2 in mouse uterus during preimplantation period.
abstract: Angiogenesis is crucial to successful implantation and decidualization, however, as an important angiogenic growth factor, the effect of Ang-2 in the process of implantation and decidualization is still unknown. This study is to investigate the differential expression of Ang-2 in mouse uterus during early pregnancy and its regulation by steroid hormones using in situ hybridization and RT-PCR. There is no detectable Ang-2 mRNA signal on days 1-5 of pregnancy by in situ hybridization. On days 6-8, Ang-2 mRNA is mainly expressed in the primary decidua of mesometrial side, and the expression gradually increases. By RT-PCR, a significantly higher level of Ang-2 expression is observed on day 8 of pregnancy, although Ang-2 expression can be found through days 1-8. Similarly, Ang-2 is highly expressed in decidualized cells under artificial decidualization. In the ovariectomized mouse uterus, Ang-2 expression gradually increases after estrogen injection and with peak levels at 12 hr, while progesterone injection can cause a decline in uterine Ang-2 mRNA level, which reaches a nadir at 12 hr. These results suggest that Ang-2 may play a key role in the process of mouse decidualization. Estrogen can induce the expression of Ang-2 while progesterone can inhibit its expression in the ovariectomized mouse uterus.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shi-Jie
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yu-Shuai
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xue-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ju-Xiong
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhan-Peng
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Yue
mesh_terms: D042702:Angiopoietin-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D005865:Gestational Age; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D042702:Angiopoietin-2; D004967:Estrogens; D011374:Progesterone