title: Isolation and identification of epithelial and stromal stem cells from eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The recent characterization of possible stem/progenitor cells in the endometrium has shed new light on the origins of ectopic endometrial tissue and the mechanism for the pathogenesis of endometriosis, but has raised new questions. Is it possible that abnormal endometrial stem/progenitor cells increase their capacity to implant and establish themselves as ectopic tissue, or that normal stem cells implant in abnormal peritoneum? This study investigated key stem cell properties in cologenic epithelial and stromal cells obtained from eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single cell suspensions of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells were cultured at densities of 20, 50, 100 and 200cells/cm(2). Cloning efficiency (CE) was determined, and stem cell phenotypic surface markers were detected using Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CE was significantly higher in cells cultured at a density of 50cells/cm(2) compared with the other groups. After 15 days of culture, small and large colonies were observed. Large-colony-derived epithelial and stromal cells had high proliferative potentials, producing millions of cells in vitro, with strong expression of epithelial and stromal stem cell phenotypic surface markers EMA, CK, CD49f, THY-1(CD90), collagen type I, 5B5 and vimentin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adult stem cells were found in eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis, and this may play an important role in disease development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: S-X
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: litian278@126.com.
authors.forename: D-M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Pu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000473:pathology*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Cloning; Endometriosis; Human endometrium; Stem cells