Regulation of endothelial and endometrial function

Angiogenesis is highly regulated during reproduction, as vessel growth, maturation and regression are observed in cyclic endometrium. This thesis investigates the possible regulation of endothelial and endometrial function, mainly focused on Wnt signalling, in angiogenesis and the female reproductive tract. The transcript profiles in a murine model of menstruation were also studied using two independent microarray experiments and platforms, which provide a broader view of molecular processes during menstruation. The major findings of this thesis include: 1) mRNAs encoding many Wnt signalling-related molecules are present in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and female reproductive tissues. 2) Wnt signalling has a role in endothelial cell growth control and this is mediated through cell-cell contact. 3) Wnt signalling is tightly regulated in endothelial cells and endometrium through the balance of positive and negative regulators of Wnt signalling pathway. There is also a tight balance between the canonical pathway and the non-canonical pathway. 4) Transcript levels of genes involved in many molecular processes changed during the time-course of a murine model of menstruation, suggesting that these molecule processes, including immune response, cell growth and maintenance, metabolism, transport and cell-cell interaction, are regulated during menstruation and participate in regulating endometrial function. These results provide further insights into the complexity of endometrial function and offer new therapeutic possibilities for the treatment of gynaecological disease.