COMPETITIVE RT-PCR TO QUANTIFY CFTR MESSENGER-RNA IN HUMAN ENDOMETRIUM

Because the down-regulation by progesterone of cystic fibrosis transme mbrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression could be a useful speci fic marker to define the state of implant receptivity in endometrium, a competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed for quantifying the CFTR mRNA concentration in human en dometrial samples. A. competitor RNA was constructed with the same seq uence as the CFTR sequence except for a 20-nucleotide insertion in the middle. The amplified products were separated by polyacrylamide gel e lectrophoresis. The ratio of CFTR band areas to competitor band areas provided the basis of quantification. Using this competitive RT-PCR, w e measured CFTR mRNA in human endometrial samples taken at different p eriods of the menstrual cycle, in endometriosis, and in hyperplasia. R esults show that the method is suitable for measuring the concentratio n of CFTR mRNA.