41 results on '"Henning M. Beier"'
Search Results
2. Ein Fortpflanzungsmedizingesetz für Deutschland
- Author
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Hartmut Kreß, Horst Dreier, Hans-Peter Zenner, Jochen Taupitz, Christian J. Thaler, H. Kentenich, Petra Thorn, Eva Schumann, A. K. Ludwig, J. S. Krüssel, Henning M. Beier, Thomas Strowitzki, Martin Bujard, Klaus Diedrich, Helmut Frister, and Claudia Wiesemann
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Gynecology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Reproductive Medicine ,business.industry ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,medicine ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,business - Abstract
Die rechtliche Regelung der Fortpflanzungsmedizin ist dringend reformbedurftig. Das Embryonenschutzgesetz von 1990 erfasst die neuesten technischen Entwicklungen nicht, ist in manchen Bereichen unstimmig und luckenhaft, setzt die betroffenen Frauen, Paare und Kinder unnotigen gesundheitlichen Risiken aus, erschwert paradoxerweise die Durchsetzung von Kinderrechten und erzeugt Gerechtigkeitsprobleme und Rechtsunsicherheit fur die betroffenen Paare und die behandelnden Arztinnen und Arzte. Das Embryonenschutzgesetz enthalt zudem nur strafrechtliche Verbote. Diese erlauben keine angemessene Reaktion auf die medizinische Entwicklung und den gesellschaftlichen Wandel und werden der Komplexitat der Materie nicht gerecht. Diese Probleme mussen gelost werden. Der Bundesgesetzgeber verfugt seit mehr als 20 Jahren uber die Kompetenz zur Regelung der Fortpflanzungsmedizin. Er sollte in der kommenden Legislaturperiode ein umfassendes Fortpflanzungsmedizingesetz schaffen.
- Published
- 2018
3. Impact of ovarian stimulation on mid-luteal endometrial tissue and secretion markers of receptivity
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M. H. van der Gaast, Henning M. Beier, Claudia A. Krusche, Nick S. Macklon, B.C.J.M. Fauser, Irmgard Classen-Linke, and Karin Beier-Hellwig
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Adult ,endocrine system ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Stimulation ,Luteal Phase ,Pregnancy Proteins ,Luteal phase ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Leukemia Inhibitory Factor ,Human chorionic gonadotropin ,Ovulation Induction ,Pregnancy ,Internal medicine ,Progesterone receptor ,medicine ,Humans ,Embryo Implantation ,Gonadal Steroid Hormones ,Menstrual cycle ,Glycoproteins ,media_common ,In vitro fertilisation ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Fertility Agents, Female ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Glycodelin ,Reproductive Medicine ,Infertility ,Female ,Leukemia inhibitory factor ,Biomarkers ,Gonadotropins ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ovarian stimulation for IVF on endometrial secretion and tissue markers of receptivity in the mid-luteal phase. In 10 oocyte donors, endometrial secretions and biopsies were sampled 5 days after spontaneous ovulation and oocyte retrieval in consecutive cycles. Four subjects received progesterone in the luteal phase of the stimulated cycles. Mid-luteal endometrial maturation in the stimulated cycle was compared with the spontaneous cycle, by histological dating, Ki-67, oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression, secretion levels of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), glycodelin A (GdA) and progesterone, and protein profile. No significant differences in histological markers, expression of Ki-67, PR, ER, secretion protein profiles or concentrations of LIF, GdA, or progesterone were observed when comparing natural with stimulated cycles. Progesterone supplementation of stimulated cycles was associated with significantly lower Ki-67 (P = 0.03) and ER (P = 0.04) expression compared with the non-supplemented stimulated cycle. In this pilot study, ovarian stimulation was not demonstrated to alter the studied markers of endometrial maturation in the mid-luteal phase.
- Published
- 2008
4. Expression of leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptors in the human cyclic endometrium
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Claudia A. Krusche, Irmgard Classen-Linke, Tina Kroll, and Henning M. Beier
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Stromal cell ,Receptors, Peptide ,Transcription, Genetic ,Cell Culture Techniques ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled ,Andrology ,Leucine ,Reference Values ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Amino Acid Sequence ,Northern blot ,Receptor ,Menstrual Cycle ,Relaxin ,Messenger RNA ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Uterus ,Membrane Proteins ,Nucleic Acid Hybridization ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Blotting, Northern ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,Female ,Immunostaining ,Relaxin receptor - Abstract
Objective To study the mRNA expression of the two leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptors LGR-4 and LGR-5 and the mRNA and protein expression of LGR-7, the relaxin receptor, in the human cyclic endometrium. Design Retrospective study. Setting Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology, Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Aachen, Germany. Method(s) LGR-4, -5, and -7 mRNA expression was assessed by semiquantitative and real time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction in the endometrium of premenopausal women (n = 26) and cultured primary endometrial epithelial cells and fibroblasts (n = 3). Transcript size was determined by Northern blotting. LGR-7 protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Result(s) The mRNA of LGR-4, LGR-5, and LGR-7 was expressed constitutively throughout the menstrual cycle in the endometrium, and characterized by substantial differences in expression levels of individual women. LGR-7 immunostaining was detected in the epithelium of the functional layer throughout the cycle, with lowest staining in the midproliferative phase. Furthermore, individual stromal cells of the functional layer and the stroma of the basal layer showed LGR-7 immunostaining. Conclusion(s) Endometrial expression of the mRNA of orphan receptors LGR-4 and LGR-5 implies that the endometrium is potentially influenced by as yet unknown mediators, which are possibly involved in fertility control. Furthermore, we confirmed constitutive endometrial mRNA expression of LGR-7, the classical relaxin receptor, and demonstrated specific LGR-7 immunostaining of different endometrial cell types, which suggests a physiological role of relaxin in the human endometrium.
- Published
- 2007
5. Recombinant bovine uteroglobin at 1.6 Å resolution: a preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis
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Andreas Herrler, Heinrich Delbrück, Henning M. Beier, Rainer Fischer, Victoria von der Decken, and Kurt Hoffmann
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Protein Conformation ,Biophysics ,Crystallography, X-Ray ,medicine.disease_cause ,Biochemistry ,law.invention ,Protein structure ,Structural Biology ,law ,Escherichia coli ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Uteroglobin ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,biology ,Chemistry ,Rhomboid ,Resolution (electron density) ,Space group ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Recombinant Proteins ,Amino acid ,Crystallography ,Crystallization Communications ,Recombinant DNA ,biology.protein ,Cattle ,Crystallization - Abstract
Uteroglobin (UG) is a conserved protein which is induced by progesterone and secreted by the epithelia of various mammalian reproductive and respiratory organs. Recombinant bovine uteroglobin (recbUG), consisting of 80 amino acids with a C-terminal His6 tag, was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The protein was crystallized in two geometric forms, rhomboid and cuneate (wedge-shaped), by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 295 K. The rhomboid crystals diffracted to a maximum resolution of 1.6 A using synchrotron radiation. These crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 81.42, b = 82.82, c = 45.26 A, and contain four monomers per asymmetric unit. The cuneate crystals diffracted to 2.35 A resolution using a rotating-anode generator. These crystals belong to space group C222(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 43.39, b = 93.94, c = 77.30 A, and contain two molecules per asymmetric unit.
- Published
- 2005
6. Haptoglobin expression and release by rabbit oviduct and endometrium, its localization in blastocyst extra-embryonic matrix and fluid during preimplantation time
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Andreas Herrler, Claudia A. Krusche, Henning M. Beier, and Frank Müller-Schöttle
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medicine.medical_specialty ,animal structures ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Andrology ,Rapid amplification of cDNA ends ,Pregnancy ,Internal medicine ,polycyclic compounds ,medicine ,Animals ,Amino Acid Sequence ,Blastocyst ,skin and connective tissue diseases ,Ovulation ,Fallopian Tubes ,media_common ,Base Sequence ,Haptoglobins ,Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ,urogenital system ,Rehabilitation ,Haptoglobin ,Acute-phase protein ,Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ,food and beverages ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Embryo ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,biology.protein ,Oviduct ,Female ,Rabbits - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence is emerging that haptoglobin, an acute phase protein with immunomodulatory properties, is expressed by the endometrium of various species. The present study describes an in-depth investigation of haptoglobin expression and release in the rabbit reproductive tract and in preimplantation embryos. METHODS: The full-length cDNA sequence of rabbit haptoglobin was determined by rapid amplification of cDNA ends PCR. Haptoglobin expression was studied in the oviductal ampull, and isthmus, endometrium and embryos from the time of ovulation up to adhesion. These results were completed by western blot analysis of reproductive tract secretions and embryonic tissues. RESULTS: cDNA sequencing showed a high homology between rabbit and human haptoglobin (84.1%). In oviductal tissues haptoglobin mRNA is clearly expressed from 6h post-conception (p.c.) to day 3, and in the uterus on days 5 and 6. In the oviductal fluid highest haptoglobin protein content was found between 6h p.c and day 2, and in the uterine fluid on days 5 and 6 p.c. Embryos do not express haptoglobin mRNA during preimplantation development. However, considerable amounts of maternal haptoglobin protein were detected in the blastocyst coverings and in blastocyst fluid. CONCLUSIONS: Already during periovulatory time and oviductal passage, high amounts of haptoglobin are present in the microenvironment surrounding the oocyte/embryo. Two days before implantation, again, high haptoglobin levels are detectable in the embryo’s environment. The incorporation of haptoglobin into the extra-embryonic matrix may be of particular functional significance.
- Published
- 2004
7. Interleukin-11 expression: its significance in eutopic and ectopic human implantation
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U. von Rango, S. Kertschanska, Peter C. Heinrich, Gerhard Müller-Newen, Irmgard Classen-Linke, Birgit Kemp, Joachim Alfer, and Henning M. Beier
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Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Down-Regulation ,Gene Expression ,Luteal phase ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Mice ,Pregnancy ,Placenta ,Internal medicine ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Receptors, Interleukin-11 ,Interleukin-11 Receptor alpha Subunit ,Embryo Implantation ,Molecular Biology ,Cells, Cultured ,Menstrual Cycle ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Menstrual cycle ,media_common ,Ectopic pregnancy ,Decidua ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Trophoblast ,Decidualization ,Receptors, Interleukin ,Cell Biology ,Interleukin-11 ,medicine.disease ,Up-Regulation ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,embryonic structures ,Female ,Pregnancy, Tubal ,Pregnancy Trimesters ,Signal Transduction ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Embryo implantation and subsequent decidualization, trophoblast invasion and formation of a functional placenta are crucial for establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Interleukin-11 signalling has been shown to be obligatory for adequate decidualization and trophoblast invasion in mice. Defects in IL-11 signalling in mice result in trophoblast over-invasion and fetal loss. The pathological situation of human tubal pregnancy resembles that of IL-11Ralpha(-/-) mice concerning these symptoms. As our interest is focused on the human early pregnancy, we compared IL-11 expression at the implantation site of ectopic tubal pregnancy (EP) to 1st and 2nd trimester of normal intrauterine pregnancies (IP), and to the normal cycling endometrium. The mRNA expression of IL-11 and IL-11Ralpha was analysed by semiquantitative RT-PCR. Protein expression was detected by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. IL-11Ralpha is expressed constitutively in all tissue specimens analysed. IL-11 is expressed predominantly during follicular and early luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. In IP, IL-11 expression peaks during the 1st trimester and declines from the beginning of the 2nd trimester onwards. In tubal abortions, IL-11 expression is reduced in comparison to vital EP and IP. Cultured primary endometrial and decidual epithelial cells were analysed for hormonal regulation of IL-11 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and RT-PCR. IL-11 is up-regulated by estrogen and down-regulated by progesterone. Overall, our results indicate that in humans, IL-11 signalling is significantly involved in regulation of trophoblast invasion. In the case of tubal abortion, inadequate IL-11 signalling may therefore result in dysregulation of trophoblast invasion.
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- 2004
8. The cytokine receptor gp130 and its soluble form are under hormonal control in human endometrium and decidua
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Irmgard Classen-Linke, Gerhard Müller-Newen, Henning M. Beier, Peter C. Heinrich, and U. von Rango
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Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Medroxyprogesterone Acetate ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Antigens, CD ,Pregnancy ,Internal medicine ,Follicular phase ,Contraceptive Agents, Female ,Cytokine Receptor gp130 ,Decidua ,Genetics ,medicine ,Humans ,Protein Isoforms ,Decidual cells ,Molecular Biology ,Cells, Cultured ,Menstrual Cycle ,Membrane Glycoproteins ,Estradiol ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Trophoblast ,Cell Biology ,Glycoprotein 130 ,Immunohistochemistry ,Molecular Weight ,Pregnancy Trimester, First ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Cytokine ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,Pregnancy Trimester, Second ,Female ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
The transmembrane protein gp130 plays a central role in cytokine action as a signal transducing receptor subunit common to all interleukin-6 type cytokines. Endometrial tissue obtained from women with a normal menstrual cycle and decidua obtained from women in the first or second trimester of pregnancy were assessed for gp130 by western blotting, immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. By immunoblotting, two forms of gp130 were detected: one-the soluble form-of approximately 100 kDa and a larger membrane-bound form of approximately 150 kDa. The latter became clearly visible in the mid to late secretory phase and was more pronounced in decidual tissue of second trimester compared to first trimester. Immunohistochemically, gp130 was located in glandular epithelial cells during the mid to late secretory phase, whereas staining in the proliferative phase was rather weak. In first and second trimester decidua, glandular cells were also positively stained. In addition, the invading trophoblast cells were gp130 positive. Soluble gp130 release was measured in the supernatants from primary endometrial and decidual cell cultures by ELISA and reached maximum values in cell cultures without addition of hormones. In cultured endometrial epithelial cells obtained during the proliferative phase of the cycle, the soluble gp130 release increased significantly under combined estradiol/progesterone supplementation which mimics the secretory phase conditions compared to estradiol supplementation alone. In cultured epithelial cells derived from decidual tissue of first trimester of pregnancy, similar effects of hormonal regulation were observed. Our results suggest that the balance between soluble gp130 and its membrane-bound form may play an important role in regulating cytokine action necessary for blastocyst implantation and for further interaction between the decidualized endometrium and the invading trophoblast.
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- 2004
9. Cytokine microenvironments in human first trimester decidua are dependent on trophoblast cells
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Irmgard Classen-Linke, Frans Bocken, Henning M. Beier, Gabie Raven, and Ulrike von Rango
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medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Decidua Parietalis ,Biology ,Andrology ,Pregnancy ,Interferon ,Internal medicine ,Decidua ,medicine ,Humans ,Decidual cells ,Interferon gamma ,RNA, Messenger ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Retrospective Studies ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,urogenital system ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Trophoblast ,Immunohistochemistry ,Trophoblasts ,Pregnancy Trimester, First ,Cytokine ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,embryonic structures ,Cytokines ,Female ,Decidua Basalis ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Objective To compare cytokine expression profiles of decidua basalis (containing trophoblast cells) and decidua parietalis (without trophoblast cells) for determination of microenvironments in human first trimester decidua. Design Retrospective study. Setting School of Medicine, RWTH University of Aachen, Aachen Germany, and Bourgognekliniek Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Patient(s) Forty-six women who had undergone elective first-trimester termination of viable pregnancy at 5 to 12 weeks. Main outcome measure(s) Quantitative cytokine protein analysis in decidual tissues by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, qualitative cytokine messenger (m)RNA analysis in isolated decidual cell samples, and comparative mRNA and protein analysis in tissues of decidua basalis compared with decidua parietalis. Result(s) Interleukin-2, interferon-γ (Th-1), interleukin-4 (Th-2), and interleukin-1β proteins are expressed in the human first-trimester decidua. Interleukin-2, interferon-γ, and interleukin-4 mRNA mainly derive from the decidual tissue leukocytes. Interleukin-1β mRNA is expressed by all decidual cell types. Interferon-γ mRNA and protein is detected predominantly in the decidua basalis, which contains trophoblast cells. Conclusion(s) Microenvironments are established topographically by different expression of cytokines in decidua basalis and decidua parietalis. These locally specific patterns are indicative of fetomaternal cross-talk. Higher interferon-γ concentrations in decidua basalis may influence leukocyte differentiation (e.g., macrophage activation) and trophoblast invasion (e.g., by induction of expression of major histocompatibility complex).
- Published
- 2003
10. Effects of trophoblast invasion on the distribution of leukocytes in uterine and tubal implantation sites
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Sonja Kertschanska, Henning M. Beier, Birgit Kemp, Ulrike von Rango, and Irmgard Classen-Linke
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medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Uterus ,Implantation Site ,Biology ,Andrology ,Pregnancy ,Reference Values ,Decidua ,Leukocytes ,medicine ,Humans ,Embryo Implantation ,Fallopian Tubes ,Menstrual Cycle ,Retrospective Studies ,Gynecology ,Mucous Membrane ,Hysterectomy ,Ectopic pregnancy ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Trophoblast ,medicine.disease ,Immunohistochemistry ,Pregnancy, Ectopic ,Trophoblasts ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,In utero ,Leukocyte Common Antigens ,Female - Abstract
Objective: To distinguish endocrine and paracrine influences on leukocyte subpopulations at uterine and tubal implantation sites. Design: Retrospective immunohistochemical study. Setting: Departments of Anatomy, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, RWTH University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany. Patient(s): Ten women with a viable ectopic pregnancy (EP), 25 women who had undergone elective first-trimester termination of pregnancy, and 4 women who had undergone hysterectomy with adnexectomy. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Quantitative analysis of leukocyte subpopulations at the implantation sites and their corresponding noninvaded tissues, decidual tissue from patients with EP, and tubal mucosa from normal menstrual cycle. Result(s): Similar numbers and characteristic distribution patterns of macrophages, T cells, and B cells were found at both normal intrauterine and tubal implantation sites. Natural killer (NK) cells were always absent from tubal mucosa. The number and distribution of leukocytes within decidual tissue from women with EP corresponded to those in the noninvaded decidual compartment in intrauterine pregnancy (IUP). Conclusion(s): Leukocyte populations present in the tubal and uterine mucosa are an intrinsic characteristic of these tissues. The distinct leukocyte distribution pattern at the implantation sites suggests that the invading trophoblast exerts a paracrine influence on endometrial and endosalpingeal leukocytes. The absence of natural killer cells from the tubal wall may be one reason for the higher degree of invasiveness of the trophoblast at the tubal implantation site.
- Published
- 2001
11. Modulation of endometrial transformation in gonadotrophin-stimulated and unstimulated pseudo-pregnant rabbits: studies with the progesterone receptor antagonist, onapristone
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Christa Hegele-Hartung, Claudia A. Krusche, Andreas Herrler, Ulrike von Rango, Irmgard Classen-Linke, and Henning M. Beier
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endocrine system ,Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Menotropins ,medicine.drug_class ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Uterus ,Apoptosis ,Stimulation ,Gonanes ,CD13 Antigens ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Hormone Antagonists ,Ovarian Follicle ,Ovulation Induction ,Corpus Luteum ,Internal medicine ,Progesterone receptor ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Uteroglobin ,Testosterone ,Pseudopregnancy ,Molecular Biology ,Progesterone ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Cell Biology ,Luteinizing Hormone ,female genital diseases and pregnancy complications ,Embryo transfer ,Prolactin ,Ki-67 Antigen ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,Female ,Ovulation induction ,Rabbits ,Follicle Stimulating Hormone ,Gonadotropin ,Receptors, Progesterone ,hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Advanced endometrial transformation often occurs in IVF and embryo transfer therapy after ovarian stimulation with gonadotrophins. One reason is probably the early rise in peripheral progesterone concentration after ovulation induction. Consequently, we studied in a rabbit model, whether the post-ovulatory application of the progesterone receptor antagonist, onapristone, could prevent such an advancement of endometrial transformation after stimulation with different gonadotrophin preparations. The inhibitory effect of onapristone on the endometrium is dependent upon the strength of ovarian stimulation. In unstimulated animals or animals treated with recombinant LH (nine corpora Iutea/animal in both groups), secretory differentiation and proliferation of the endometrium was strongly inhibited by onapristone. After weak ovarian stimulation with a 3:1 mixture of FSH and LH (22 corpora Iutea/animal), secretory differentiation was strongly inhibited, while proliferation was enhanced. After strong stimulation with either a 1:1 mixture of FSH and LH, or human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG; >40 corpora lutea/animal), only limited inhibitory effects of onapristone on secretory transformation or proliferation could be detected. In conclusion, these graded effects of onapristone after stimulation with gonadotrophins, resemble the basic observations from which a therapeutic strategy emerges, to modulate the advanced endometrial transformation which occurs in many IVF patients after ovarian stimulation.
- Published
- 2000
12. The endometrium as a novel target for leptin: differences in fertility and subfertility
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Henning M. Beier, Ulrike von Rango, Joachim Alfer, Karin Beier-Hellwig, Werner Rath, Frank Müller-Schöttle, Lars Happel, and Irmgard Classen-Linke
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Adult ,Leptin ,Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Steroid hormone receptor ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Receptors, Cell Surface ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Internal medicine ,Follicular phase ,Genetics ,medicine ,Humans ,Protein Isoforms ,RNA, Messenger ,Receptor ,Molecular Biology ,Menstrual cycle ,media_common ,Leptin receptor ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Cell Biology ,Immunohistochemistry ,Fertility ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,Receptors, Leptin ,Female ,Carrier Proteins ,hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists ,Developmental Biology ,Hormone - Abstract
Leptin and its receptor are involved in endocrine and paracrine regulation of metabolism, obesity and reproduction. Here, we describe the detection of the functional long isoform receptor of leptin in human endometrium. The leptin receptor protein was shown to be expressed in glandular and luminal epithelium and is periodically regulated throughout the menstrual cycle, demonstrating main expression in follicular and mid-luteal phase. In contrast, leptin receptor mRNA is detectable by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as a constitutive component. Since RT-PCR analyses showed that leptin is not expressed in this tissue, the present study suggests that the human endometrium is a novel target for leptin. Therefore, we investigated 11 subfertile patients who underwent two biopsies in one menstrual cycle. The patients presented with a repetitive endometrial maturation defect, but showed adequate serum hormone concentrations and normal steroid hormone receptor expression and down-regulation in the endometrium. These patients were, however, deficient for expression of the functional leptin receptor. These analyses provide evidence that the lack of the leptin receptor in an ovulatory cycle may contribute to subfertility by a yet undefined 'endometrial factor'.
- Published
- 2000
13. Horse Conceptuses Secrete Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 31
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W. R. Allen, A. Herrler, Henning M. Beier, Francesca Stewart, and Jenny M. Pell
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medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,urogenital system ,Immunoprecipitation ,Growth factor ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Cell Biology ,General Medicine ,Biology ,Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein ,Cell biology ,Blot ,Insulin-like growth factor ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,Western blot ,Internal medicine ,embryonic structures ,medicine ,biology.protein ,Conceptus ,Northern blot ,reproductive and urinary physiology - Abstract
Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) promotes early embryonic development in several species. In the rabbit, IGF-I binds to the embryonic coats from Day 3 of development onward by a 38-kDa protein that is probably insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3). In the present study, ligand, Western, and Northern blot analyses were used to demonstrate the presence of IGF-I-binding activity, several immunoreactive IGFBP3 proteins, and IGFBP3 mRNA in horse conceptuses with particularly large amounts of immunoreactive IGFBP3 in the conceptus capsule. In addition, immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled proteins showed that cultured horse conceptuses secreted IGFBP3 into the culture medium. Endometrial samples from mares also contained IGFBP3 mRNA and protein; but there was no evidence of secretion of IGFBP3 into the uterine lumen by ligand blot analysis, and there was evidence of only very small amounts by Western blot analysis. These results indicate that the horse conceptus secretes significant quantities of IGFBP3 toward the conceptus capsule from as early as Day 10 after ovulation. Thus, most of the IGFBP3 contained within the capsule, which binds IGF-I to this special extracellular matrix of the preimplantation horse conceptus, is likely to be embryonic in origin. IGFBP3 in the horse conceptus capsule may enhance or modulate the action of IGFs on the developing conceptus.
- Published
- 2000
14. Embryonic Stem Cells and Nuclear Transfer Strategies
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Anna M. Wobus, Eckhard Wolf, and Henning M. Beier
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Histology ,Anatomy ,Stem cell ,Biology ,Cell potency ,Embryonic stem cell ,Cell biology ,Adult stem cell - Published
- 2000
15. Expression of uteroglobin in the human endometrium
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Claudia A. Krusche, Karin Beier-Hellwig, Frank Müller-Schöttle, Henning M. Beier, Joachim Alfer, Karl Sterzik, and Irmgard Classen-Linke
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Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Uterus ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Biology ,Luteal phase ,Endometrium ,Internal medicine ,Gene expression ,Genetics ,medicine ,Humans ,Uteroglobin ,Secretion ,Molecular Biology ,Menstrual Cycle ,Messenger RNA ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Epithelial Cells ,Cell Biology ,Immunohistochemistry ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Secretory protein ,Reproductive Medicine ,biology.protein ,Female ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Uteroglobin is a progesterone binding protein, a member of the antiflammin gene family and possibly a novel cytokine. Initially, uteroglobin was identified as the major protein of rabbit uterine secretion during the phase of preimplantation. Counterparts of the rabbit uteroglobin or its gene are described in rat, mouse, hamster, hare, pig, horse and human. While uteroglobin appears as one of the most extensively studied proteins, particularly its physico-chemical properties, including its crystal structure and its gene, the true physiological role of this protein still remains to be unravelled. Essential to understanding the significance of human uteroglobin in reproductive organs, particularly in the endometrium, is a knowledge of the spatial and chronological expression of this secretory protein. Our studies on 115 volunteers combined reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry and quantitative assessment by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for uteroglobin. The expression, localization and release of uteroglobulin in the human endometrium are presented. Secretory uteroglobin is found in endometrial tissue homogenates in highest levels of expression during the early luteal phase (days 15-19, 340 pg/mg total protein). In turn, uteroglobin is released into the uterine lumen in peak amounts during the receptive phase of the menstrual cycle (mid-luteal phase, days 20-23, secretion level 833.4 pg/mg total protein). Our immunohistochemical studies match with these results, as uteroglobin is located during the early and mid-luteal phase in the apical compartments of endometrial gland cells. These observations strongly suggest an involvement of uteroglobin in endometrial preparations for implantation.
- Published
- 1999
16. Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Maturation of Mouse Oocytes After Treatment with Synthetic Meiosis-Activating Sterol In Vitro1
- Author
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Ursula Eichenlaub-Ritter, Joachim Kuhnke, Sabine Eisner, J. L. Ottesen, Henning M. Beier, Christian Grøndahl, Monika Lessl, and Christa Hegele-Hartung
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musculoskeletal diseases ,Genetics ,Germinal vesicle ,Forskolin ,fungi ,Cell Biology ,General Medicine ,Biology ,Oocyte ,Follicular fluid ,Cell biology ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,Meiosis ,chemistry ,Microtubule ,Cytoplasm ,Organelle ,medicine ,lipids (amino acids, peptides, and proteins) - Abstract
Synthetically produced meiosis-activating sterol, a sterol originally derived from follicular fluid (FF-MAS), induces meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes in vitro. We therefore compared FF-MAS-induced maturation of naked mouse oocytes arrested in prophase I by either hypoxanthine (Hx) or forskolin (Fo) with spontaneous maturation of naked oocytes. FF-MAS-treated oocytes overcame the meiotic block by Hx or Fo, although germinal vesicle breakdown was delayed by 11 h and 7 h, respectively. We also investigated the influence of FF-MAS on chromosome, microtubule, and ultrastructural dynamics in Hx-cultured oocytes by immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. Similarly to spontaneously matured oocytes, chromosomes became aligned, a barrel-shaped spindle formed, and overall organelle distribution was normal in FF-MAS-matured oocytes. The number of small cytoplasmic asters was elevated in FF-MAS-treated oocytes. Although the number of cortical granules (CGs) was similar to that in spontaneously matured oocytes, the overall distance between CGs and oolemma was increased in the FF-MAS group. These observations suggest that the initiation of meiotic maturation in FF-MAS-treated oocytes in the presence of high cAMP levels leads to a delayed but otherwise normal nuclear maturation. FF-MAS appears to improve oocyte quality by supporting microtubule assembly and by delaying CG release, which is known to contribute to reduced fertilization.
- Published
- 1999
17. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in human endometrium and uterine secretion: an evaluation by immunohistochemistry, ELISA and semiquantitative RTPCR
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C. Karl, Karin Beier-Hellwig, M. von Wolff, Henning M. Beier, Irmgard Classen-Linke, Claudia A. Krusche, and D. Heid
- Subjects
Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Uterus ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Andrology ,Internal medicine ,Follicular phase ,Genetics ,medicine ,Humans ,Autocrine signalling ,Molecular Biology ,Menstrual Cycle ,Menstrual cycle ,media_common ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Cell Biology ,Immunohistochemistry ,Postmenopause ,Cytokine ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Real-time polymerase chain reaction ,Endocrinology ,Premenopause ,Reproductive Medicine ,Female ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha is a pleiotropic cytokine synthesized throughout the female reproductive tract. Even though evidence has accumulated that supports its role in autocrine and paracrine processes, its expression and function in the human endometrium are still not completely understood. To gain a better understanding of the synthesis and release of TNF-alpha in the endometrium and how this relates to concentrations in uterine secretion, its expression throughout the menstrual cycle was investigated by three different techniques. Samples of endometrial tissue and uterine secretions were collected from patients undergoing abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy for benign reasons. The mRNA expression of TNF-alpha was investigated in homogenized endometrial tissue by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (n = 18). An assessment of the cellular TNF-alpha protein localization in the endometrial glands was performed immunohistochemically (n = 39). The concentrations of the secreted TNF-alpha protein in endometrial secretion were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent analysis (n = 30). All three methods gave similar results on the temporal expression of TNF-alpha mRNA and TNF-alpha protein during the cycle. Concentrations of endometrial TNF-alpha mRNA in tissue samples and TNF-alpha protein in uterine secretion were quite low at the beginning of the cycle, rose sharply in the mid- to late proliferative phase and decreased towards the end of the cycle. The concentrations of TNF-alpha protein in the endometrial glands, as shown by immunohistochemical investigation, stayed high throughout the secretory phase at values slightly below those of the late proliferative phase.
- Published
- 1999
18. Insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factor-I Promote Rabbit Blastocyst Development and Prevent Apoptosis1
- Author
-
Claudia A. Krusche, Andreas Herrler, and Henning M. Beier
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,animal structures ,Cell growth ,Insulin ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Growth factor ,Embryogenesis ,Embryo ,Cell Biology ,General Medicine ,Biology ,Embryonic stem cell ,Andrology ,Insulin-like growth factor ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,Internal medicine ,embryonic structures ,medicine ,Blastocyst - Abstract
Insulin as well as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) promote early embryo development, and IGF-I binds to the coats of preimplantation rabbit embryos. As the IGF-I receptor is expressed from the morula stage onwards, the embryos are capable of responding to insulin and IGF-I, which is present in the oviductal and uterine secretions that surround them. The embryonic coats were removed to exclude any influence by IGF-I bound to the coats. The in vitro development of such embryos under classical conditions appears to be retarded. Addition of IGF-I (68 pM-6.8 nM) or insulin (68 nM-6.8 microM), however, promotes blastocyst formation. Embryo development under such conditions is not significantly different from that of embryos cultured with intact coats. In contrast, coat-free embryos cultured without IGF-I or insulin supplementation show apoptosis. Because IGF-I stimulates cell proliferation and prevents apoptosis, we investigated whether insulin or IGF-I may act as "survival factors" in preimplantation development. Therefore, apoptosis was induced by slight UV irradiation (254 nm wave length; 11.8 W/m2). Compared to the untreated controls, embryos displaying retarded development or degeneration were increased by 22% and 14%, respectively. Addition of IGF-I or insulin to the culture medium of UV-irradiated embryos improved [3H]thymidine incorporation and blastocyst formation significantly. By immunohistochemistry we could show that addition of insulin (0.68-68 nM) decreased apoptosis and increased cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, supporting blastocyst development significantly.
- Published
- 1998
19. Marker molecules of human endometrial differentiation can be hormonally regulated under in-vitro conditions as in-vivo
- Author
-
Irmgard Classen-Linke, Henning M. Beier, S Hey, Claudia A. Krusche, M. Kusche, and Joachim Alfer
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.drug_class ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Paracrine signalling ,Hormone Antagonists ,Internal medicine ,Progesterone receptor ,medicine ,Humans ,Receptor ,Cells, Cultured ,Menstrual Cycle ,Progesterone ,Cell adhesion molecule ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Cell Differentiation ,Epithelial Cells ,Estrogens ,In vitro ,Cell biology ,Endocrinology ,Receptors, Estrogen ,Reproductive Medicine ,Hormone receptor ,Cell culture ,Estrogen ,Female ,Stromal Cells ,Receptors, Progesterone - Abstract
An established cell culture system of isolated human endometrial stromal and epithelial cells has been used to study the effects of oestrogen and progesterone, as well as their antagonists, upon endometrial cells. Normal hormonal regulation in vivo was investigated simultaneously in endometrial tissue samples taken at different phases of the menstrual cycle. Several marker molecules analysed by immunohistochemistry appeared to depend strongly on endocrine regulation and could be traced in culture. Immunohistochemically, basic parameters of cell biology were identified in vitro, e.g. cell proliferation (Ki-67), adhesion molecules (beta3 integrin) and paracrine factors (leukaemia inhibitory factor). The most reliable parameters to assess hormonal influences were oestrogen and progesterone receptor molecules. Immunohistochemical localization could be improved by molecular biological analysis using RT-PCR. In the presence of oestrogen, a significant expression of hormone receptors was also shown by RT-PCR, and withdrawal of oestrogens and addition of gestagen, i.e. medroxyprogesterone acetate, caused receptor downregulation. Addition of the anti-oestrogen ICI 182.780 to cell-culture medium significantly decreased the synthesis of progesterone receptors.
- Published
- 1998
20. Structure and function in proteins
- Author
-
A. G. Schepky, Henning M. Beier, P. Schulz-Knappe, J. Elia, Wolf-Georg Forssmann, H.A. Pasolli, Markus Meyer, A. Aoki, Dieter Hock, R. Znottka, Manfred Raida, and Hossein Mostafavi
- Subjects
chemistry.chemical_classification ,Embryology ,Molecular mass ,biology ,Dimer ,Protein primary structure ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Peptide ,Biological activity ,Cell Biology ,Antiparallel (biochemistry) ,Amino acid ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Reproductive Medicine ,chemistry ,Biochemistry ,Uteroglobin ,Genetics ,biology.protein ,Molecular Biology ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
4To whom correspondence should be addressed The purpose of this study was to assess the possibility of isolating biologically active peptides from human blood using large volumes of blood filtrate, which are available from patients undergoing extracorporeal urtrafirtration because of renal insufficiency. This filtrate was submitted to six chromatographic separation steps, yielding one purified peptide which was completely analysed in its primary structure. It was found to be strikingly similar to proteins, described initially as rabbit uteroglobin (or blastokinin) and, more recently, from human bronchial lavage as the '10 kDa Clara cell protein', as well as from human urine as 'protein-1'. The natural molecule contains two chains of identical amino acid sequences of 70 residues which are arranged as an antiparallel dimer due to the disulphide bonds between two cysteines at positions 3 and 69. Mass analysis of the molecular forms yielded molecular weights from 15 827 Da (non-oxidized form) to 15 859 Da (bi-oxidized form). We conclude that this peptide isolated from the filtrate represents the human uteroglobin, and we demonstrate for the first time that this peptide may be involved as a humoral factor in reproductive or other physiological functions.
- Published
- 1996
21. Dissociation of corpus luteum, endometrium and blastocystn in human implantation research
- Author
-
Walter Elger, U. Mootz, Henning M. Beier, K. Beier-Hellwig, and Christa Hegele-Hartung
- Subjects
Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Ovary ,Luteal Phase ,Luteal phase ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Models, Biological ,Andrology ,Endocrinology ,Corpus Luteum ,Pregnancy ,Internal medicine ,Progesterone receptor ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Endocrine system ,Embryo Implantation ,Blastocyst ,Pseudopregnancy ,Progesterone ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Cell Biology ,Embryo transfer ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,Research Design ,Female ,Rabbits ,Corpus luteum - Abstract
We describe a well-established approach for studying the parameters and mechanisms of synchronization or desynchronization between the maternal and embryonic systems before implantation. It is useful for inducing 'delayed secretion' of the endometrium by different endocrine interventions, which dissociate the endometrial transformation from its control by the corpus luteum. The technique has been achieved by means of direct progesterone antagonists which competitively bind to the progesterone receptor and, in turn, inhibit the physiological effects of progesterone. During the luteal phase, secretory protein patterns indicate the receptive stage of the endometrium. Evidence is presented to show that these patterns, analysed by electrophoresis and densitometry, define the time at which an embryo transfer is promising for implantation and establishment of pregnancy.
- Published
- 1991
22. Class I histone deacetylase expression in the human cyclic endometrium and endometrial adenocarcinomas
- Author
-
Irmgard Classen-Linke, Ulrike von Rango, A. Vloet, Joachim Alfer, Claudia A. Krusche, and Henning M. Beier
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.drug_class ,Histone Deacetylase 2 ,Histone Deacetylase 1 ,Biology ,Adenocarcinoma ,Endometrium ,Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ,Histone Deacetylases ,Andrology ,Western blot ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,p300-CBP Transcription Factors ,Regulation of gene expression ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Histone deacetylase 2 ,Rehabilitation ,Histone deacetylase inhibitor ,Uterus ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Middle Aged ,Immunohistochemistry ,Endometrial Neoplasms ,Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ,Repressor Proteins ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,PCAF ,Female ,Histone deacetylase - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) and acetylases (HATs) are members of transcriptional pre-initiation complexes assembled by steroid hormone receptors. Recently, HDAC inhibitors were shown to enhance differentiation of endometrial fibroblasts and endometrial adenocarcinomas. However, there is only rare information on HDAC and HAT expression in the human endometrium. METHODS: HDAC-1, -2, -3 and HAT (PCAF and GCN5) mRNA expression was studied in tissue from premenopausal women undergoing hysterectomy by real-time or semiquantitative RT‐PCR. HDAC protein expression was assessed by Western Blot and immunohistochemistry. In endometrial adenocarcinomas (n 5 17), HDAC-1 expression was studied by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In the human endometrium, HDAC-1, -2, -3 and PCAF mRNA are expressed without cyclical changes. Western blot analysis demonstrated that HDAC-2 protein expression was slightly, but significantly elevated in the secretory phase ( P< 0.01 versus day 5‐8), whereas HDAC-1 and -3 protein expression was constitutive throughout the menstrual cycle. By immunohistochemistry, nuclear expression of HDAC proteins was detected in all endometrial cell types. In the case of HDAC-3, immunostaining was significantly reduced in the endometrial surface epithelium on day 6‐10 ( P< 0.01 versus days 15‐18 and 24‐28). Compared to normal endometrium, a high proportion of endometrial adenocarcinomas showed impaired HDAC-1 protein expression in the epithelial and stromal compartment. CONCLUSIONS: Class I HDACs and HATs are expressed in the human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle, suggesting the cyclic endometrium as a potential target for HDAC inhibitors. We hypothesis that alterations of HDAC and/or HAT expression are potentially involved in impaired endometrial differentiation.
- Published
- 2007
23. Die T-zellvermittelte Trophoblastapoptose ist an der Entstehung eines Tubarabortes beteiligt
- Author
-
Henning M. Beier, Birgit Kemp, Werner Rath, and U. von Rango
- Subjects
Maternity and Midwifery ,Obstetrics and Gynecology - Published
- 2007
24. Führen maternale immunkompetente T-Zellen via Apoptose zum Tubarabort?
- Author
-
Henning M. Beier, U. von Rango, Werner Rath, and Birgit Kemp
- Subjects
Maternity and Midwifery ,Obstetrics and Gynecology - Published
- 2006
25. Cryopreservation of spermatozoa in alginic acid capsules
- Author
-
Ute Weissenborn, Andreas Herrler, Henning M. Beier, Sabine Eisner, and Vera Bach
- Subjects
Male ,endocrine system ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Alginates ,Biocompatible Materials ,Capsules ,Biology ,Cryopreservation ,Bovine sperm ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Glucuronic Acid ,Sodium citrate ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Prospective Studies ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Sperm motility ,Alginic acid ,Chromatography ,urogenital system ,Hexuronic Acids ,Outcome measures ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Oligospermia ,Glucuronic acid ,Sperm ,Spermatozoa ,Surgery ,Culture Media ,Reproductive Medicine ,chemistry ,Sperm Motility ,Cattle - Abstract
Objective To develop a method of freezing small amounts of spermatozoa in polymerized alginic acid drops, which can be liquified after thawing for recovery of the spermatozoa. Design Prospective clinical study. Setting Medical School, RWTH Aachen, Aachen Germany. Patient(s) None. Intervention(s) Validation of the encapsulation method with bovine sperm; cryopreservation of human spermatozoa in alginic capsules. Main Outcome Measure(s) We optimized the cryopreservation method by testing different parameters influencing the freezing procedure, such as concentration of alginic acid, size of drops, time of polymerization, and culture media. Result(s) The final protocol was as follows: encapsulation by 7.3 mg/mL alginic acid forming 10-μL drops polymerized for 30 seconds and liquefied for 2.5 minutes in sodium citrate. Cryopreservation of human spermatozoa by this protocol resulted in a decreased motility of 18.3% compared with standard protocols but a 19.9% higher vitality of the immotile spermatozoa. Conclusion(s) No difference in viability of spermatozoa after both sperm-freezing procedures could be observed. Further investigation will be undertaken to reduce the amount of immotile but viable sperm after microencapsulation in alginic acid.
- Published
- 2005
26. Full-length complementary DNA and the derived amino acid sequence of horse uteroglobin
- Author
-
Frank, Müller-Schöttle, Agata, Bogusz, Joachim, Grötzinger, Andreas, Herrler, Claudia A, Krusche, Karin, Beier-Hellwig, and Henning M, Beier
- Subjects
Models, Molecular ,DNA, Complementary ,Base Sequence ,Blotting, Western ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Blotting, Northern ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Evolution, Molecular ,Species Specificity ,Animals ,Humans ,Uteroglobin ,Computer Simulation ,Amino Acid Sequence ,Horses ,Sequence Alignment ,Conserved Sequence ,Phylogeny - Abstract
After its original description as a steroid-dependent protein in the rabbit uterus, uteroglobin became one of the best characterized proteins. However, detailed knowledge of its physiological role remains an enigma. In this study we investigate how its structure is phylogenetically conserved in the horse compared to other mammalian species. Northern blot analysis showed that in horses, the main expression of uteroglobin appears in lung, uterus, and prostate tissues. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the dimeric form of uteroglobin is found predominantly in biological compartments. Using a RACE-PCR technique, we cloned and sequenced the full-length cDNA (473 base pairs) that encodes equine uteroglobin. The nucleotide sequence was shown to characterize the primary structure of this protein. This enabled us to add equine uteroglobin to a comparative amino acid alignment of 8 other uteroglobin molecules, and finally, to unravel 14 evolutionary completely conserved amino acids. We summarize these results with a computer-based 3-D model of horse uteroglobin, and discuss new concepts on the physiological role of uteroglobin, in particular as a specific binding protein.
- Published
- 2002
27. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase is differently expressed in human endometrial vessels during the menstrual cycle
- Author
-
Kristof Chwalisz, Joachim Alfer, M. Taguchi, Irmgard Classen-Linke, and Henning M. Beier
- Subjects
Adult ,Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Endothelium ,Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ,Vasodilation ,Endometrium ,Von Willebrand factor ,Enos ,Internal medicine ,von Willebrand Factor ,Genetics ,medicine ,Humans ,Molecular Biology ,Menstrual Cycle ,biology ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Cell Biology ,Middle Aged ,biology.organism_classification ,Immunohistochemistry ,Nitric oxide synthase ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,biology.protein ,Female ,Endothelium, Vascular ,Nitric Oxide Synthase ,Developmental Biology ,Blood vessel - Abstract
Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) can be synthesized by endothelial cells and can act as a potent vasodilator. We investigated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), one of the three different enzymes responsible for the synthesis of NO by immunohistochemical methods throughout the menstrual cycle on 34 endometrial samples and compared its detection with the von Willebrand Factor (vWF) as a reliable marker molecule of the endothelium on serial sections. Immunoreactivity for eNOS was clearly localized in various types of arterial and venous endothelial cells as well as in capillaries. In addition, in some samples there was a positive staining in endometrial glandular epithelium. There was no staining in endometrial fibroblasts or in myometrial smooth muscle cells. Whereas the endothelium was constantly stained by the monoclonal antibody against vWF, eNOS was not always expressed in the endothelial lining of the vessels during the menstrual cycle. The number of vessels positively stained for eNOS increased gradually during the proliferation phase and most of the vessels were positive in the early secretory phase. These results suggest that its markedly increased expression during the early secretory phase of the menstrual cycle indicates a physiological significance.
- Published
- 2000
28. Molecular and cellular aspects of endometrial receptivity
- Author
-
Karin Beier-Hellwig and Henning M. Beier
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,Endometriosis ,Luteal phase ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Paracrine signalling ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Endocrine system ,Animals ,Humans ,education ,Menstrual cycle ,Progesterone ,media_common ,Peptidylprolyl isomerase ,education.field_of_study ,Uterus ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Proteins ,Cell biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,Gene Expression Regulation ,Uteroglobin ,biology.protein ,Female - Abstract
Endocrine and paracrine controls regulate the endometrium during the luteal phase of the cycle to permit implantation. Part of this differentiation process is the production of a specific secretion which fills the intrauterine cavity and glandular lumen. Its molecular composition originates from the gland secretion, from transudations from stroma, from the endometrial blood vessels, and last, but not least, from cellular components of apoptotic and exfoliated cells. We have studied the secretions of all phases during the menstrual cycle using patterns evaluated by SDS-PAGE, by laser densitometry or Western blots. Uterine secretion electrophoresis (USE) permits detailed analyses of the intrauterine micromilieu and allows clinical assessment of the receptive stage of endometrium during the luteal phase. Several individual protein bands have been defined as characteristic markers for such receptive pattern. We have isolated and identified the molecular structure of several of these proteins, e.g. histones, cyclophilin, transthyretin, haptoglobin and uteroglobin. Investigations on the endocrine regulation of these proteins, were carried out on the uterine secretions of patients treated with progesterone antagonists (mifepristone and onapristone). The results demonstrate how progesterone-dependent components produce a receptive pattern, which can serve as a useful and precise marker in the clinical diagnosis of the luteal phase. Essential progesterone-dependent components differentiating during the luteal phase may provide new targets for contraceptive interventions by preventing the physiological changes typical of receptivity.
- Published
- 1999
29. The receptive endometrium is characterized by apoptosis in the glands
- Author
-
Henning M. Beier, U. von Rango, Claudia A. Krusche, and Irmgard Classen-Linke
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Apoptosis ,DNA Fragmentation ,Luteal phase ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Andrology ,Internal medicine ,Follicular phase ,medicine ,Decidua ,In Situ Nick-End Labeling ,Humans ,Proliferation Marker ,Embryo Implantation ,Fragmentation (cell biology) ,TUNEL assay ,Rehabilitation ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Decidualization ,Epithelial Cells ,Middle Aged ,Immunohistochemistry ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Ki-67 Antigen ,Reproductive Medicine ,Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ,Female ,Cell Division - Abstract
Apoptosis in the human endometrium up to now has been detected during the mid to late luteal phase and therefore connected to the onset of the menstrual shedding. However, there is increasing evidence that regulated apoptosis may be important during decidualization and implantation. To investigate a possible role for apoptosis in the human endometrium and its regulation, we correlated the immunolocalization of the apoptosis regulatory protein bcl-2 and the proliferation marker Ki67 to the in-situ nuclear DNA fragmentation - a key feature of apoptosis - detected by using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labelling (TUNEL) method during the menstrual cycle. Whereas proliferation and bcl-2-expression were predominantly detected in the glandular compartment during the proliferative phase, only single apoptotic cells could be shown during this period. During the transformation of the endometrium (days 15-19) proliferation and bcl-2 expression decreased markedly and there was no sign of apoptosis. At the beginning of the implantation window (days 19-20) we could detect the first signs of apoptosis in the glandular epithelia in the basalis, which extended to the functionalis during the luteal phase. Proliferation and bcl-2 expression are limited to the stromal compartment comprising the large granular lymphocytes - during this time, and extend in parallel with apoptosis from the basal to the functional layers. Apoptosis therefore may be related to the loss of the protective effect of bcl-2 and may have significance for the establishment of an endometrium adequately prepared for successful implantation.
- Published
- 1998
30. Cervical ripening in guinea-pigs after a local application of nitric oxide
- Author
-
Henning M. Beier, S Shao-Qing, R. E. Garfield, and Krzysztof Chwalisz
- Subjects
Nitroprusside ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Guinea Pigs ,Uterus ,Cervix Uteri ,Gonanes ,Nitric Oxide ,Dinoprostone ,Uterine contraction ,Nitric oxide ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Hormone Antagonists ,Pregnancy ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Animals ,Prostaglandin E2 ,Cervical canal ,Cervix ,Progesterone ,Labor, Obstetric ,Chemistry ,Rehabilitation ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Microscopy, Electron ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Reproductive Medicine ,Female ,Sodium nitroprusside ,medicine.symptom ,medicine.drug ,Prostaglandin E - Abstract
In humans cervical ripening is an inflammatory reaction accompanied by an infiltration of white blood cells and the remodelling of the extracellular matrix. Similar changes occur in guinea-pigs during cervical ripening. Nitric oxide (NO) is thought to be important in the maintenance of pregnancy because it is synthesized by the uterus and inhibits contractility. Previous studies in rats also demonstrated that an NO generating system is present in the cervix and is up-regulated during labour. We studied the local effect of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on cervical ripening in guinea-pigs during advanced pregnancy. SNP (5 mg/injection) was administered into the cervical canal in 0.2 ml phosphate-buffered saline containing 3% hydroxycellulose twice a day either for 1 [on day 42 post coitum (p.c.)] or 2 consecutive days (days 42-43 p.c.; term day 67+3 p.c.). The effects were assessed 24 h after treatment by both extensibility measurements (force resistance to incremental stretch) and morphological evaluation (light and electron microscopy after in-situ fixation). The control animals were treated with the vehicle. In another experiment, the guinea-pigs were subcutaneously (s.c.) treated on day 43 p.c. with either the progesterone antagonist onapristone (3 and 10 mg/animal s.c.) or with prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) (1 and 3 mg/animal s.c.) and the PGE 2 analogue sulprostone (0.03 and 0.1 mg/animal s.c.). The cervical extensibility was measured 24 h later. One-day SNP treatment tended to reduce cervical resistance, but not significantly, whereas 2 day treatment with SNP led to a significant increase in cervical extensiblity (P < 0.05) with little effect on cervical dilatation (indirect evidence of the absence of uterine contractions). The effects on cervical resistance were comparable to those achieved with 10 mg onapristone and high-dose prostaglandins (PG)s (3 mg PGE 2 and 0.1 mg sulprostone) treatment. An electron microscope study of the SNP-treated animals revealed a dissolution of collagen fibres, stromal oedema, arterial dilatation, and the infiltration of macrophages, lymphocytes and granulocytes. Numerous mast cells were also present. The morphological effects of SNP were similar to those observed during normal cervical ripening at term. We conclude that the local application of a NO donor effectively induces cervical ripening without inducing labour in pregnant guinea-pigs.
- Published
- 1997
31. Präimplantationsdiagnostik zur Entdeckung schwerer genetischer Schäden des extrakorporal erzeugten Embryos nicht strafbar
- Author
-
Henning M. Beier and Monika Frommel
- Published
- 2010
32. The dynamic structure of rabbit blastocyst coverings. III. Transformation of coverings under non-physiological developmental conditions
- Author
-
Bernd Fischer, Henning M. Beier, Hans-Werner Denker, U. Mootz, and M. Lambertz
- Subjects
endocrine system ,Embryology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Uterus ,Medizin ,Extraembryonic Membranes ,Biology ,Andrology ,Internal medicine ,Culture Techniques ,medicine ,Animals ,Blastocyst ,Zona pellucida ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Zona Pellucida ,urogenital system ,Embryogenesis ,Trophoblast ,Embryo ,Cell Biology ,Embryo Transfer ,Embryo transfer ,Microscopy, Electron ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,embryonic structures ,Oviduct ,Female ,Rabbits ,Anatomy ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Under physiological conditions the zona pellucida disappears in the rabbit between Day 3 and early Day 4 post coitum (p.c.) and is replaced by a new layer, the neozona. The dissolution of the zona pellucida and the formation of the neozona was investigated in three different experimental approaches, all of them characterized by non-physiological developmental conditions for the embryo: Prevention of embryo migration from the oviduct into the uterus by postcoital (48 h p.c.) tubal ligation, in vitro culture, and asynchronous embryo transfer into uteri of recipient rabbits. Embryos of age 2 1/2, 3, 4 and 4 1/2 days p.c. were cultured for 12 to 72 h. The media used for in vitro culture were supplemented with BSA, serum or with uterine secretions that were collected either synchronously or asynchronously to the developmental stage of the cultured embryos. Three-day-old embryos were transferred into uteri of pseudopregnant foster rabbits of either synchronous (Day 3) or asynchronous stages (Day 0, 2, 4, 5, 6) and were recovered 24 to 72 h after transfer. The transformation of the coverings was evaluated by light and transmission electron microscopy. The dissolution of the zona pellucida was greatly disturbed in tube-locked embryos, and in cultured embryos if standard protein supplements (BSA or serum) had been used for in vitro culture. In many cases the zona was still completely preserved after 2 or 3 days in culture, at a time when it normally would have already been replaced by the neozona in vivo. The dissolution in vitro, however, progressed incomparably better if the culture medium had been substituted with synchronous or asynchronous uterine secretions. The formation of the neozona could not be verified in cultured blastocysts. After embryo transfer, the dissolution of the zona pellucida was completed in most cases by 2 days after transfer, irrespective of the recipients' progestational stage. Present results indicate that uterine components are essential for the dissolution of the rabbit zona pellucida. These components appear to be present in the uterine cavity constitutively, i.e. independently of the uterine progestational transformation, and need not be in synchrony with the embryo's developmental stage for dissolution of the zona. Normal formation of the neozona does not take place under the non-physiological developmental conditions of in vitro culture.
- Published
- 1991
33. P-251. Functional leptin receptor located in human endometrium
- Author
-
Joachim Alfer, Werner Rath, Henning M. Beier, and Irmgard Classen-Linke
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Endocrinology ,Leptin receptor ,Reproductive Medicine ,Internal medicine ,Rehabilitation ,medicine ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Biology ,Human endometrium - Published
- 1999
34. R-207. Significance of marker molecules in the assessment of endometrial quality in infertility patients
- Author
-
Karin Beier-Hellwig, Joachim Alfer, Henning M. Beier, and L. Happel
- Subjects
Infertility ,Gynecology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Reproductive Medicine ,business.industry ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Rehabilitation ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Medicine ,Quality (business) ,business ,medicine.disease ,media_common - Published
- 1999
35. Changes of Intermediate Filament Protein Localization in Endometrial Cells During Early Pregnancy of Rabbits
- Author
-
Henning M. Beier, Axel Hochfeld, and Hans-Werner Denker
- Subjects
chemistry.chemical_classification ,medicine.medical_specialty ,biology ,Medizin ,Trophoblast ,Vimentin ,Glycocalyx ,Andrology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,chemistry ,Internal medicine ,Placenta ,Keratin ,medicine ,biology.protein ,Intermediate Filament Protein ,Apical cytoplasm ,Intermediate filament - Abstract
Implantation is initiated by an interaction of trophoblast with the uterine epithelium via the apical cell poles of both partners. Aspects of changes that must take place in the glycocalyx and in the plasma membrane, to allow this process to be initiated are discussed in other contributions to this volume. There appears to be good reason, however, to bring the cytoskeleton into the picture, since findings obtained in other systems give strong evidence for interactions between it and the cell membranes (Tachi et al., 1970; Jones and Goldman, 1985; Perides et al., 1986a,b; Traub et al., 1987; Lazarides, 1980, for review see: Cowin et al., 1985; Geiger et al., 1985). There are only a few reports on the occurrence of intermediate filaments (IF) in the uterine epithelium. Franke et al. (1986) have studied IF in the proliferative phase of the human endometrial epithelium. Khong et al. (1986) concentrated on the expression of IF in the placenta, amniochorion, and placental bed in humans and Dabbs et al. (1986) used IF as diagnostic tools for histologic differentiation of uterine adenocarcinomas. Viale et al. (1988) described coexpression of vimentin and keratin in endometrial glands.
- Published
- 1990
36. Preface
- Author
-
Andreas Herrler and Henning M. Beier
- Subjects
Histology ,Anatomy - Published
- 2000
37. P-073. Delay of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of mouse oocytes after treatment with synthetic meiosis-activating sterol in vitro
- Author
-
Ursula Eichenlaub-Ritter, Christa Hegele-Hartung, Henning M. Beier, Monika Lessl, S. Eisner, Christian Grøndahl, and J. L. Ottesen
- Subjects
Reproductive Medicine ,Biochemistry ,Meiosis ,Cytoplasm ,Chemistry ,Rehabilitation ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,In vitro ,Sterol ,After treatment - Published
- 1999
38. Quantitative aspects of protein synthesis in non-cultured and cultured rabbit blastocysts
- Author
-
Thomas Jung, Bernd Fischer, and Henning M. Beier
- Subjects
Andrology ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Methionine ,Leucine ,Pregnancy ,Culture Techniques ,Homologous chromosome ,medicine ,Protein biosynthesis ,Animals ,Blastocyst ,Uterus ,Rehabilitation ,Embryogenesis ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Molecular biology ,In vitro ,Culture Media ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,chemistry ,Protein Biosynthesis ,Female ,Rabbits - Abstract
Day 4 rabbit blastocysts were cultured in Ham's F-10 medium supplemented either with homologous serum or uterine flushings. Development was assessed by leucine and methionine incorporation at 24 h and 48 h, respectively, after initiation of culture and compared with day 4 and day 5 non-cultured controls. After 24 h in culture, incorporation data were similar for both media groups. After 48 h, a significantly higher protein synthesis activity was found in blastocysts which had access to uterine secretions in vitro. However, incorporation levels of day 5 controls were not reached. Modes of incorporation of leucine and methionine revealed to be very similar in all experimental groups but ranged on a different level. Leucine was incorporated on a 5.5-fold higher level than methionine. We conclude that (i) supplementation of culture media with uterine secretions is beneficial for blastocyst development, and (ii) further studies should focus on non-serum components within the uterine fluid and their significance for embryonic development.
- Published
- 1987
39. Advanced secretory changes in the proliferative human endometrial epithelium following clomiphene citrate treatment
- Author
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Arie Birkenfeld, Karin Beier-Hellwig, Neri Laufer, Henning M. Beier, Joseph G. Schenker, Daniel Navot, Claus Goecke, and Itzhak S. Levij
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Biology ,Endometrium ,Cytoplasmic Granules ,Epithelium ,Clomiphene ,Anovulation ,Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism ,Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism ,Internal medicine ,Biopsy ,medicine ,Humans ,Menstrual cycle ,Menstrual Cycle ,Progesterone ,media_common ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Estradiol ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,medicine.disease ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Reproductive Medicine ,Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ,Histopathology ,Female ,Luteinizing hormone ,Infertility, Female - Abstract
In an effort to characterize the effect of clomiphene citrate (CC) on the human endometrium, we took biopsy specimens of the endometrium 24 to 48 hours after CC treatment (100 to 250 mg/day for 5 consecutive days). Nineteen biopsy specimens were taken from 19 patients. Fifteen of the patients suffered from anovulatory infertility associated with oligomenorrhea or normal cycle length. The other four patients were amenorrheic, two in association with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and two with hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. The histopathology of all samples was evaluated with the use of light microscopy, including periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and PAS-diastase staining for glycogen demonstration. All samples were also examined with the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Serum levels of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone were determined on the day of biopsy. In 10 of the 19 biopsy specimens, local or diffuse signs of early secretory events were demonstrated by the presence of subnuclear vacuolization and glycogen in the glandular epithelial cells. SEM corroborated these findings of advanced secretory changes by demonstrating apical protrusions at luminal epithelial cells and secretory products within the glands' openings. The E2 levels ranged between 110 and 1500 pg/ml (mean, 371 pg/ml) and P levels were either undetectable or less than 1.1 ng/ml. The two patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism both exhibited the same phenomena; those with primary ovarian failure had atrophic endometrium even after high-dose CC treatment. This observation, together with the low P levels detected, indicating the lack of luteinization, suggests a possible direct effect of CC on the endometrium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
- Published
- 1986
40. Potential risk of light and room temperature exposure to preimplantation embryos
- Author
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Bernd Fischer, Armin Schumacher, Christa Hegele-Hartung, and Henning M. Beier
- Subjects
Light ,Biology ,Cleavage (embryo) ,law.invention ,Andrology ,Lesion ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,law ,Risk Factors ,medicine ,Humans ,Cell growth ,Embryogenesis ,Temperature ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Embryo ,Anatomy ,Blastocyst ,Reproductive Medicine ,chemistry ,Ultrastructure ,Female ,Electron microscope ,medicine.symptom ,Thymidine - Abstract
Adverse effects of simultaneous exposure to visible light and room temperature were investigated in rabbit early cleavage stages and morulae. Routine laboratory conditions were mimicked as close as possible. Embryonic development was assessed by cell proliferation via incorporation of tritiated thymidine, by gross morphology, and by electron microscopy. Damage was detectable in both stages at 1-hour exposure by statistically significant impaired cell proliferation. Compared with single exposure to each individual stressor, combined exposure to light and room temperature amplified detrimental effects. Ultrastructural analysis of light-exposed cleavage stages revealed no indication of cell injury at 4-hour exposure. Gross morphology proved to be too inaccurate to evaluate damage imposed by exposure toward both physical factors investigated.
- Published
- 1988
41. Class I histone deacetylase expression in the human cyclic endometrium and endometrial adenocarcinomas.
- Author
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Claudia A. Krusche, Anne J. Vloet, Irmgard Classen-Linke, Ulrike von Rango, Henning M. Beier, and Joachim Alfer
- Subjects
HISTONE deacetylase ,ENDOMETRIUM ,MUCOUS membranes ,ADENOCARCINOMA - Abstract
BACKGROUND Class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) and acetylases (HATs) are members of transcriptional pre-initiation complexes assembled by steroid hormone receptors. Recently, HDAC inhibitors were shown to enhance differentiation of endometrial fibroblasts and endometrial adenocarcinomas. However, there is only rare information on HDAC and HAT expression in the human endometrium. METHODS HDAC-1, -2, -3 and HAT (PCAF and GCN5) mRNA expression was studied in tissue from premenopausal women undergoing hysterectomy by real-time or semiquantitative RTâPCR. HDAC protein expression was assessed by Western Blot and immunohistochemistry. In endometrial adenocarcinomas (n = 17), HDAC-1 expression was studied by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS In the human endometrium, HDAC-1, -2, -3 and PCAF mRNA are expressed without cyclical changes. Western blot analysis demonstrated that HDAC-2 protein expression was slightly, but significantly elevated in the secretory phase (P P CONCLUSIONS Class I HDACs and HATs are expressed in the human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle, suggesting the cyclic endometrium as a potential target for HDAC inhibitors. We hypothesis that alterations of HDAC and/or HAT expression are potentially involved in impaired endometrial differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
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