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This systematic review (PRISMA-S) compared how endometriosis aligns with the “seed and soil” concept by re-analyzing mRNA expression data from eutopic and ectopic endometrium, with a focus on epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) changes. The authors found extremely high mRNA profile similarity between eutopic endometrium from patients without endometriosis and eutopic endometrium from patients with endometriosis (~99.1%), whereas eutopic endometrium from patients with endometriosis showed a lower similarity to ectopic lesions (95.3%). EMT-associated gene analysis showed only minor differences, particularly for claudin family members, without apparent loss of other cell–cell junctions important for the epithelial phenotype, and the authors conclude that early changes in the “seed” are subtle while most differences emerge after implantation into ectopic “soil.” This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it evaluates eutopic versus ectopic endometrial gene expression through the seed-and-soil framework to explain how endometriosis develops.
Abstract
The changes in endometrial cells, both in the eutopic endometrium of patients with and without endometriosis and in lesions at ectopic sites, are frequently described and often compared to tumorigenesis. In tumorigenesis, the concept of “seed and soil” is well established. The seed refers to tumor cells with metastatic potential, and the soil is any organ or tissue that provides a suitable environment for the seed to grow. In this systematic review (PRISMA-S), we specifically compared the development of endometriosis with the “seed and soil” hypothesis. To determine changes in the endometrial seed, we re-analyzed the mRNA expression data of the eutopic and ectopic endometrium, paying special attention to the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). We found that the similarity between eutopic endometrium without and with endometriosis is extremely high (~99.1%). In contrast, the eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis has a similarity of only 95.3% with the ectopic endometrium. An analysis of EMT-associated genes revealed only minor differences in the mRNA expression levels of claudin family members without the loss of other cell–cell junctions that are critical for the epithelial phenotype. The array data suggest that the changes in the eutopic endometrium (=seed) are quite subtle at the beginning of the disease and that most of the differences occur after implantation into ectopic locations (=soil).
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The Different Gene Expression Profile in the Eutopic and Ectopic Endometrium Sheds New Light on the Endometrial Seed in Endometriosis
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https://doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-19229Abstract
The changes in endometrial cells, both in the eutopic endometrium of patients with and without endometriosis and in lesions at ectopic sites, are frequently described and often compared to tumorigenesis. In tumorigenesis, the concept of “seed and soil” is well established. The seed refers to tumor cells with metastatic potential, and the soil is any organ or tissue that provides a suitable environment for the seed to grow. In this systematic review (PRISMA-S), we specifically compared the development of endometriosis with the “seed and soil” hypothesis. To determine changes in the endometrial seed, we re-analyzed the mRNA expression data of the eutopic and ectopic endometrium, paying special attention to the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). We found that the similarity between eutopic endometrium without and with endometriosis is extremely high (~99.1%). In contrast, the eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis has a similarity of only 95.3% with the ectopic endometrium. An analysis of EMT-associated genes revealed only minor differences in the mRNA expression levels of claudin family members without the loss of other cell–cell junctions that are critical for the epithelial phenotype. The array data suggest that the changes in the eutopic endometrium (=seed) are quite subtle at the beginning of the disease and that most of the differences occur after implantation into ectopic locations (=soil).Link to publications or other datasets
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Biomedicines 12 (2024), 1 - 15, 1276
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