MODULATION OF IMPLANTATION-ASSOCIATED INTEGRIN EXPRESSION BUT NOT UTEROGLOBIN BY STEROID-HORMONES IN AN ENDOMETRIAL CELL-LINE

In order to test the hypothesis that integrin and uteroglobin (UG) exp ression in cultured endometrial cells are affected by hormone treatmen t, Ishikawa-CH endometrial cancer cells were cultured and exposed to o estradiol or oestradiol and progesterone regimens and assayed using im munohistochemistry. We evaluated the intensity of immunohistochemical staining for the integrin monomers alpha(v) and beta(1), the dimers al pha(v) beta(3) and alpha(v) beta(6), and for the secretory protein ute roglobin under various experimental conditions. Cells grown in control media stained positively for the integrin monomers alpha(v) and beta( 1), the dimer alpha(v) beta(3) and for UG. Oestradiol and sequential o estradiol/progesterone reversibly suppressed staining for the dimer al pha(v) beta(3). Hormone treatment had no effect on the staining of the beta(1) and alpha(v) monomers or UG. The alpha(v) beta(6) dimer antib ody did not stain under any experimental treatment conditions. These d ata indicate that expression of the integrin complex alpha(v) beta(3) is reversibly suppressed by oestradiol sn Ishikawa cells and that thes e cells may be a good model for studying hormone-driven molecular chan ges in endometrium.