Stem Cell Markers Describe a Transition From Somatic to Pluripotent Cell States in a Rat Model of Endometriosis.
To study Thy1 as a fibroblast marker, SSEA1 as a marker of intermediate pluripotency, and Oct4 as a marker of established pluripotency in rat model of endometriosis.



In vivo animal study.



Endometriosis was induced in 20 albino female rats through autologous transplantation of one uterine horn to mesentery of intestine. Other 20 rats had their horn removed without transplantation (controls). Rats were sacrificed 4 weeks after induction surgery. Ectopic, eutopic, and control endometria were harvested from endometriosis and control animals respectively. Quantitative syber green based RT-PCR was used to detect expression of Thy-1 (CD90), FUT4 (SSEA1), and POU5F1 (Oct4) genes in tissues. Relative expression was normalized to that of β actin. Thy1, SSEA1, and Oct4 protein expression were detected by immunohistochemistry.



Ectopic endometrium expressed significantly higher mRNA of Oct4 and SSEA1 as compared to control endometrium. Expression levels of Oct4 and SSEA1 were comparable between ectopic and eutopic endometria and between eutopic and control endometria. Thy1 (CD90) gene expression level was comparable among ectopic, eutopic, and control endometria. Oct4 immunoscore were significantly higher in ectopic (6.6±0.91) than eutopic (2.5±0.78) or control endometrium (3.7±0.1) (P value 0.02). Thy1 and SSEA1 immunoscores were comparable among all three types of endometria.



Using rat model of endometriosis, ectopic endometrium showed significantly higher Oct4, and SSEA1, but similar Thy1 gene expression to that of control endometrium. This indicates increased transition from somatic to pluripotent cell states in ectopic endometrium which may play a role in endometriosis pathogenesis.
1 OB-GYN Department, Assiut University, Egypt.|2 Center of Excellence of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CESCRM), Assiut University, Egypt.
Essam Rashad
ER
Othman
3 Histology Department, Assiut University, Egypt.
Fatma Yassine
FY
Meligy
4 Medical Biochemistry Department, Assiut University, Egypt.
Ayat Abdel-Rahman
AA
Sayed
5 Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Assiut University, Egypt.
Mohamed Ahmed
MA
El-Mokhtar
6 Pathology Department, Assiut University, Egypt.
Abeer Mohamed
AM
Refaiy
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000066630:Ectopic Gene Expression; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005647:Fucosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism
D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C000628990:Pou5f1 protein, rat; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens; D005647:Fucosyltransferases; C000628984:Fut4 protein, rat
Induced pluripotency; Oct4; SSEA-1; Thy1; endometriosis