GSE122248
Comparative transcriptome analysis of the human endocervix and ectocervix during the proliferative and secretory phases of the menstrual cycle
Despite extensive studies suggesting increased susceptibility to HIV during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, there is limited knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved. We aimed to explore the ectocervical and endocervical tissue transcriptomes during the proliferative and secretory phases of the cycle using RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to identify potential signatures of susceptibility to HIV. We utilized hysterectomy tissue specimens from subjects not using hormonal contraception/treatment for gynecological conditions. Ectocervical (n=10) and endocervical tissues (n=15) were used for this study. The cycle phase was determined by assessing the histopathology of hematoxylin-and-eosin stained sections of the endometrial mucosa by gynecologic pathologists. Total RNA was isolated from tissues frozen in RNAlater (Ambion) following manufacturer's instructions (Qiagen RNeasy Fibrous Tissue Mini Kit). After extraction, the quality and the purity of the RNA were measured by the Agilent Bioanalyzer (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA). RNA was labeled and sequenced at the RU Genomics center by using Illumina TruSeq technology (75bp, >30M coverage). The data were analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software (QIAGEN Inc., https://www.qiagenbioinformatics.com/products/ingenuitypathway-analysis). To inquire into changes in gene expression irrespectively of p-value cut off, pre-ranked genes based on proliferative vs. secretory phase expression were subjected to Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) against the Hallmark Gene sets (H) and Immunologic Signatures Gene sets (collection C7) from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB)(http://software.broadinstitute.org/gsea/msigdb/index.jsp). Our data show menstrual cycle phase-associated changes in the transcriptomic landscape of the endocervix and ectocervix, some of which may contribute to changes in HIV susceptibility. Overall design: 15 endocervical samples (n=8 proliferative, n=7 secretory); 10 ectocervical samples (n=5 proliferative,  n=4 secretory)