The pathogenesis of endometriosis : Sampson was right

Chapter 1 1.1 Chapter 1 13.2.2 Ce// actf?es/on mo/eci//es Adhesive properties of endometrial cells determine the process of attachment of retrogradely shed endometrium to the peritoneal lining. Several cell adhesion molecules are expressed by endometrial cells and modulate cell-matrix and cell-cell attachment, including integrins, cadherins, laminin-binding proteins, the immunoglobulin superfamily and CD44 (Stetler-Stevenson ef a/., 1993). In endometrium and endometriosis, integrins and cadherins have been studied extensively. The integrins belong to a large family of transmembrane glycoproteins that provide an anchorage for cells to the ECM and are involved in direct invasion and motility of cells (Curran and Murray, 2000). The expression of integrins in the endometrium changes during the menstrual cycle (Tabibzadeh 1992; Van der Linden ef a/., 1995; Lessey ef a/., 1998). As conflicting results have been reported with regard to integrins in endometrium and endometriosis, their exact role remains controversial, but aberrant patterns of integrin expression have been associated with reproductive problems, including endometriosis (Lessey ef a/., 1994; Starzinski-Powitz ef a/.. 1999).