title: Topographies and isoforms of the progesterone receptor in female human, rat and mouse bladder.
abstract: Steroid hormones such as progesterone are known to influence bladder function. Progesterone effects are mediated by the progesterone receptor (PR) but no detailed studies of PR in bladder exist. We have investigated the presence, topography and subtypes of PR in mouse, rat and human bladder. Fresh tissue samples were obtained from cystectomies in female humans, rats and mice (n = 7 per group). Tissue samples were processed for immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) and western blot (WB) and, for each species, a panel of specific PR antibody clones was used. Interpretation of IHC/IF was carried out by light/fluorescent microscopy and of WB via standard WB software. IHC/IF in female human bladder showed PR on the interstitial cells in the lamina propria and between detrusor smooth muscle cells, whereas in female rat and mouse bladder, PR was only found on the urothelium. WB in human bladder showed a 78-kD and a 60-kDa band, respectively, corresponding to a modified PR isoform A and PR isoform C. WB in rat and mice bladder showed a 60 kDa band and a 37 kDa band, respectively corresponding with PR isoform C and an unknown isoform. This is the first detailed investigation of the precise location and presence of several isoforms of PR in bladder, together with a comparison of these data between human, rat and mouse. Our study has revealed complex PR families in bladders from the various species studied and demonstrates obvious inter-species differences in PR topography and isoforms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Urology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. Thomas.gevaert@med.kuleuven.be.|Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Thomas.gevaert@med.kuleuven.be.|Department of Pathology, AZ Klina, Brasschaat, Belgium. Thomas.gevaert@med.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gevaert
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Urology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Laboratory of Ion Channel Research and TRP Research Platform Leuven (TRPLe), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Roma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rietjens
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ion Channel Research and TRP Research Platform Leuven (TRPLe), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Voets
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Urology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Laboratory of Ion Channel Research and TRP Research Platform Leuven (TRPLe), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Everaerts
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Urology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Ridder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D056885:Interstitial Cells of Cajal / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000378:metabolism*; D019459:Urothelium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D011374:Progesterone
keywords: Bladder; Human; Immunohistochemistry; Progesterone receptor; Western blot