Molecular Endocrinology

Epigenetic silencing of steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) is lost in endometriosis, potentially contributing to de novo local steroidogenesis favoring inflammation and growth of ectopic endometrial tissue. In this study, we examine the impact of…

For successful embryo implantation, endometrial stromal cells must undergo functional and morphological changes, referred to as decidualization. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate implantation and decidualization are not well d…

The steroid hormones 17β-estradiol and progesterone are critical regulators of endometrial stromal cell differentiation, known as decidualization, which is a prerequisite for successful establishment of pregnancy. The present study using pr…

The forkhead box O1A (FOXO1) is an early-induced target of the protein kinase A pathway during the decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). In this study we identified the cistrome and transcriptome of FOXO1 and its role …

Nuclear receptor coactivators (NCOAs) are multifunctional transcriptional coregulators for a growing number of signal-activated transcription factors. The members of the p160 family (NCOA1/2/3) are increasingly recognized as essential and n…

Probing the multiplicity of hormone signaling via G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) has demonstrated the complex signal pathways that underlie the multiple functions these receptors play in vivo. This is highly pertinent for the GPCRs key…

Progesterone, acting through the progesterone receptors (PGRs), is one of the most critical regulators of endometrial differentiation, known as decidualization, which is a key step toward the establishment of pregnancy. Yet a long-standing …

Steroid receptors (SRs) bind specific DNA regulatory sequences, thereby activating and repressing gene expression. We previously showed that transcriptional coregulator Hic-5 facilitates glucocorticoid regulation of some genes but blocks gl…

Antisense transcription is prevalent in mammalian genomes, yet the function of many antisense transcripts remains elusive. We have previously shown that the fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) gene is regulated endogenously by an overlapping …

In endometriosis, stromal and epithelial cells from the endometrium form extrauterine lesions and persist in response to estrogen (E2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Stromal cells produce excessive quantities of estrogen and PGE2 in a feed-fo…

Endometriosis is a prevalent gynecological disorder in which endometrial tissue proliferates in extrauterine sites, such as the peritoneal cavity, eventually giving rise to painful, invasive lesions. Dysregulated estradiol (E) signaling has…

Human endometrium undergoes major gene expression changes, resulting in altered cellular functions in response to cyclic variations in circulating estradiol and progesterone, largely mediated by transcription factors and nuclear receptors. …

Implantation is an essential process during establishment of pregnancy in mammals. It is initiated with the attachment of the blastocyst to a receptive uterine epithelium followed by its invasion into the stromal tissue. These events are pr…

The smooth muscle layer of the uterus (ie, myometrium) is critical for a successful pregnancy and labor. We have shown that the conditional deletion of TGFβ type 1 receptor (TGFBR1) in the female reproductive tract leads to remarkable smoot…

Molecular changes that give rise to granulosa cell tumors of the ovary are not well understood. Previously, we showed that deletion in granulosa cells of the bone morphogenetic protein receptor-signaling transcription factors, Smad1 and Sma…

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII; NR2F2) is an orphan nuclear receptor involved in cell-fate specification, organogenesis, angiogenesis, and metabolism. Ablation of COUP-TFII in the mouse uterus causes …

Welcome to the December issue of Molecular Endocrinology. Among this month’s papers you’ll find the following research to be of great interest, particularly to those interested in reproductive biology. “ATF3 Expression in the Corpus Luteum:…

Hypothalamic GnRH is the primary regulator of reproduction in vertebrates, acting via the G protein-coupled GnRH receptor (GnRHR) in pituitary gonadotrophs to control synthesis and release of gonadotropins. To identify elements of the GnRHR…

In order to understand the biology of the endometrium and potentially develop new diagnostic tools and treatments for endometrial diseases, the highly orchestrated gene expression/regulation that occurs within the uterus must first be under…

Decidualization is an ovarian steroid-induced remodeling/differentiation process of uterus essential for embryo implantation and placentation. Here, we investigated the possible involvement of enhanced Ca²⁺ dynamics in the decidualization p…

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a specific role in the migration of tumor cells. Both estrogen and midkine (MK) have been thought to be important factors in promoting the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and c…

During each menstrual cycle, the human uterus undergoes a unique transformation, known as decidualization, which involves endometrial stromal proliferation and differentiation. During this process, the stromal cells are transformed into dec…

Progesterone (P(4)) and estradiol-17β (E(2)) play critical and opposing roles in regulating myometrial quiescence and contractility during pregnancy and labor. Although these contrasting hormonal effects are likely mediated via differential…