Molecular Human Reproduction, Vol. 7, No. 7, 671-679,
July 2001
© 2001 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Implantation and pregnancy |
Oestriol and oestradiol increase cell to cell communication and connexin43 protein expression in human myometrium
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, 88–96 Chenies Mews, London WC1E 6HX, 2 Department of Haematology, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, 98 Chenies Mews, London WC1E 6HX and 3 Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Abstract
Oestradiol increases the protein expression of connexin43 (Cx43) gap junctions in myometrium but the effect of oestriol on gap junction expression has not been described previously. Oestriol is the most abundant free oestrogen in pregnant women and there is a marked surge in oestriol concentrations before term and idiopathic preterm labour. In order to determine whether oestriol may have a physiological action on the myometrium, cultured human myometrial cells obtained from non-pregnant hysterectomy specimens were exposed to 10 nmol/l oestradiol or oestriol. Intercellular communication between myometrial cells was investigated by microinjection of confluent cultured cells with the gap junction-permeant tracer Cascade Blue. There was a progressive increase in coupling after exposure to oestradiol or oestriol (P < 0.0005). An increase in Cx43 protein expression was demonstrated by immunocytochemistry after 1 h (P < 0.01) and 3 days (P < 0.01) exposure, and by Western blotting after 1 h (P < 0.01) and 3 days (P < 0.05) exposure, to both oestradiol and to oestriol. We conclude that oestriol increases gap junction communication in human myometrium by increasing gap junction expression. Elevated oestriol concentrations may thus play a role in the initiation of labour in women, by increasing cell-cell communication in the myometrium.
connexin43/labour/myometrium/oestradiol/oestriol
Notes
4 Current address: Department of Haematological Medicine, Guy's, King's, St Thomas' School of Medicine, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Leukaemia Sciences, The Rayne Institute, 123 Cold Harbour Lane, London SE5 9RS, UK
5 To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gillian.lachelin{at}ucl.ac.uk
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