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Connective Tissue Growth Factor Found in Human Uterine Tissue

2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer -- The mitogenic connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) has now been observed in tissues of the human uterus, and is believed to play a part in regulatory mechanisms important to female reproduction.

"This study is the first to demonstrate CTGF gene expression and localization of its encoded protein in human uterine tissues," said lead investigator M. Uzumcu and colleagues from Washington State University in Molecular Human Reproduction.

CTGF was significantly expressed in several types of cells during the different stages of menarche, and again during pregnancy. Fixed human samples of uterine tissue were tested for CTGF during the proliferative stage and the several secretory stages. Cells representing uterine tissue expression during pregnancy were also evaluated. In addition, investigators tested human myometrium and leiomyomas.

During the proliferative stage, CTGF expression was strongest in endothelial and vascular cells, and weakest in stromal cells.

Uzumcu et al. said, "Throughout the entire secretory stage, CTGF was detected in epithelial and endothelial cells of endometrium."

Stromal cells produced the most CTGF in areas of intra-uterine edema, mostly during the first and middle phases of the secretory stage. Some stromal cell expression was detected in decidualized areas during the later secretory stages.

"During pregnancy, the decidual, epithelial, and endothelial cells of the endometrium were all immunoreactive to CTGF," the researchers said. "In myometrial and leiomyoma samples, CTGF immunoreactivity was found only in the endothelial cells" ("Localization of connective tissue growth factor in human uterine tissues," Mol Human Repro, 2000;6(12):1093-1098).

Because of the distinct properties of CTGF expression in uterine tissues, Uzumcu et al. proposed the growth factor plays a regulatory role within the uterus.

The corresponding author for this study is M. Uzumcu, Washington State University, Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Bioscience, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA.

Key points reported include:

* Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a mitogenic growth factor that for the first time has been recognized within uterine tissues

* CTGF is secreted in different types of cells at specific stages of menarche and pregnancy

* CTGF most likely plays a regulatory role within the human uterus

This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

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