title: Erythropoietin is involved in hemoprotein syntheses in developing human decidua.
abstract: Before establishment of feto-placental circulation, decidua can synthesize hemoproteins to maintain oxygen homeostasis in situ. Using the human decidua of induced abortions ranging from 5 to 8 weeks of gestation, we determined the expression levels of erythropoietin, erythropoietin receptor, cytoglobin, myoglobin, embryonic-, fetal- and adult hemoglobin mRNA by quantitative RT-PCR analysis and identified their proteins by Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. Erythropoietin signaling was demonstrated in phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway by Western blot, and the transcriptional factors for erythroid and non-erythroid heme synthesis were examined by RT-PCR analysis. In decidua, erythropoietin and its receptor mRNAs, erythropoietin receptor protein and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, were expressed with a peak at 6 weeks of gestation. Moreover, the decidua during 5 to 8 weeks of gestation expressed embryonic, fetal and adult hemoglobins additionally cytoglobin and myoglobin at transcriptional and protein levels. The heme portion of these hemoproteins is considered to be synthesized by non-erythroid δ-aminolevulinate synthase. These hemoproteins were discernible especially in decidual cells concomitant with cytotrophoblast cells and macrophage in these developing decidua. Considering the different capacity for oxygen binding and dissociation among hemoglobins with the oxygen storage capacity for cytoglobin and myoglobin, these hemoproteins appear to play a role in oxygen demand in decidua in situ before development of feto-placental circulation under the control of erythropoietin signaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiota
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimaoka
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuritani
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oiki
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taketani
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Harufumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumoto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoshiai
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D017931:DNA Primers; D003656:Decidua / Q000378:metabolism*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006420:Hemeproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D006420:Hemeproteins; D004921:Erythropoietin