Increased expression of c-fos protein associated with increased matrix metalloproteinase-9 protein expression in the endometrium of endometriotic patients

Hong Pan, Pan H, Jian-Zhong Sheng, Sheng JZ, Jian‐Zhong Sheng, Tang L, Li Tang, Rong Zhu, Tianhua Zhou, Tian-Hua Zhou, He‐Feng Huang, He-Feng Huang, Huang HF
Fertility and sterility · 2007 · vol. 90(4) , pp. 1000–1007 · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.07.1386 · PMID:17888430 · W2078260007
Observational OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 21 in-corpus citations
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study found that c-fos protein expression is increased in the endometrium of women with endometriosis, and this increase correlates with elevated matrix metalloproteinase-9 protein expression.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate c-fos and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression in the endometrium from women with or without endometriosis throughout the menstrual cycle, and to explore the correlation of c-fos expression with MMP-9 expression and 17beta-E(2) levels in serum. DESIGN: Molecular studies in human tissue. SETTING: A women's hospital in China. PATIENT(S): Fifty-five premenopausal women (25 with endometriosis and 30 without endometriosis) undergoing laparoscopic surgery or hysterectomy. INTERVENTION(S): Eutopic and ectopic endometrium tissue were obtained at the time of surgery. Peripheral sera were also collected on the same day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Immunohistochemical localization of c-fos in the endometrium, c-fos and MMP-9 protein levels in the endometrium, and 17beta-E(2) levels in the serum. RESULT(S): c-fos protein was predominantly located in the nuclei of glandular epithelial cells and stromal cells. c-fos and MMP-9 protein levels in paired eutopic and ectopic endometria from women with endometriosis were significantly higher than those in the endometrium from women without endometriosis. No significant difference in c-fos or MMP-9 protein levels was observed between paired eutopic and ectopic endometria. c-fos protein levels in endometrium positively correlated with endometrial MMP-9 levels and serum 17beta-E(2) levels. CONCLUSION(S): Expression of c-fos in the human endometrium may be regulated by 17beta-E(2), and c-fos may be involved in development of endometriosis by promoting MMP-9 gene expression and subsequently the invasive potential of endometrial explants.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometrium Estradiol Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Ovarian Diseases Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos Adult Adult Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometrium Endometrium Estradiol Estradiol Female Female Humans Humans Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Matrix Metalloproteinase 9

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

References (42)

Cited by (23)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-10-16T06:09:50.462052+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-10-08T21:04:47.165929+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK