S100A4 MRNA And Protein Expression In Endometriosis

Objective: To investigate the relationship between S100A4 and the pathogenesis of endometriosis by comparing the expression of S100A4 in endometrial tissues from women with and without endometriosis and by analyzing the possible association between the gene polymorphisms of S100A4 in BstXI site and the susceptibility to endometriosis.Materials and Methods: RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to study the expression of S100A4 in ectopic endometrium (n=42) , eutopic endometrium (n=22) from women with endometriosis and in the normal endometrium (n=33) . The polymorphisms of S100A4 gene in BstXI site were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in ectopic endometrium (endometriosis group) and normal endometrial tissues(control group).Results: S100A4 mRNA was expressed in all the ectopic and eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis and in the normal endometrium. The mRNA expression level of S100A4 in ectopic endometrium was higher than that in the eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis and the normal endometrium (P<0.05) in both proliferative phase and secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. There was no significant difference between the mRNA expression level of S100A4 in the eutopic endometrium of endometriosis and in the normal endometrium (P>0.05) . S100A4 protein was localized in the cytoplasm of glandular epithelial cells, endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells and stromal cells in the three endometrial tissues. S100A4 exhibited a strong expression level in the glandular epithelial cells of the ectopic endometrium from women with endometriosis, but a moderate expression level in the eutopic endometrium of endometriosis and in the normal endometrium. The expression level of S100A4 protein in the ectopic endometrium was higher than that in the eutopic endometrium from women with and without endometriosis (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression level of S100A4 protein between the eutopic endometrium of endometriosis and the normal endometrium (P > 0.05). No BstXI polymorphisms of S100A4 gene was found in any group of the endometrial tissues. Conclution: The higher expression level of S100A4 may be related to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. No evidence was found to implicate that the S100A4 gene polymorphisms in the site of BstXI were related to the pathogenesis of endometriosis.