Loss of smad7 promoted the stromal-myofibroblast transition of endometrium via autophagy
Background: Abnormal autophagy and TGFß-SMAD3/7 signaling pathway plays an important role in intrauterine adhesions (IUA); however, the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to detect whether SMAD7 effected IUA via regulating autophagy and TGFß-SMAD3 signaling pathway.  Methods: The expression of p-SMAD3 and SMAD7 were detected by Immunohistochemistry. Endometrial fibrosis was detected by masson staining. The expression of protein related to autophagy and fibrosis was detected by western blot. The autophagic flux was monitored via Tandem mRFP-GFP-LC3 fluorescence system. Chip assay was used for SMAD3 binding site analysis. SMAD7 knockout mice were used to investigate the regulation of SMAD7 on intrauterine adhesions and autophagy.  Results: we observed that patients with IUA exhibited a lower expression of SMAD7. In endometrial stromal cells, the silencing of SMAD7 inhibited autophagic flux, whereas overexpressed SMAD7 promoted autophagic flux. We also found that SMAD7-mediated autophagic flux regulated stromal-myofibroblast transition. These phenotypes are regulated by the transforming growth factor (TGF)ß-SMAD3 signaling pathway. We found that SMAD3 directly binds to the 3'-untranslated region of transcription factor EB (TFEB) and inhibits its transcription. SMAD7 promoted autophagic flux by inhibiting SMAD3, thereby promoting the expression of TFEB. The endometria of SMAD7 knockout mice showed a fibrotic phenotype. Simultaneously, autophagic flux was inhibited. On administering the autophagy activator rapamycin, endometrial fibrosis of SMAD7 gene conditional knockout mice was partially restored.  Conclusions: The loss of SMAD7 promotes endometrial fibrosis by inhibited autophagic flux via the TGFß-SMAD3 pathway. Therefore, this study reveals a potential therapeutic target for IUA. Overall design: Uterine tissue of proestrus mice (SMAD7 knockout mice, WT) was used for RNA sequencing. RNA purity was checked using the NanoPhotometer® spectrophotometer (IMPLEN, CA, USA). RNA concentration was measured using Qubit® RNA Assay Kit in Qubit® 2.0 Flurometer (Life Technologies, CA, USA). The RNA integrity was assessed using Agilent Fragment Analyzer 5400 system (Agilent Technologies, CA, USA). Library construction and Illumina sequencing were completed by Shanghai Lifegenes Technology Co., Ltd?