Semin Reprod Med 2000; 18(3): 289-298
DOI: 10.1055/s-2000-12566
Copyright © 2000 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

Glycodelin: A Pane in the Implantation Window

Michael D. Mueller1 , Jean-Louis Vigne1 , Christian Vaisse2 , Robert N. Taylor1
  • 1Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
  • 2Metabolic Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
31 December 2000 (online)

ABSTRACT

Glycodelin is an endometrial protein with proposed immunomodulatory activity during human embryonic nidation. In this review we describe the effects of ovarian hormones on glycodelin transcription, synthesis, and secretion by human epithelial cells and focus on the importance of glycodelin in implantation. We demonstrate that glycodelin transcription, synthesis, and secretion by human epithelial cells are stimulated by progestins and antiprogestins but not by estrogen. Sequences localized within a 403-base-pair region flanking the 5′ human glycodelin gene promoter appear to be responsible for transcriptional activation of this gene mediated by progesterone receptor-ligand complexes. Relaxin, purported to enhance glycodelin production in vivo and in prior in vitro studies, had no stimulatory effect on the expression of this gene in vitro in our models.

REFERENCES

  • 1 Csapo A I, Pulkkinen M. Indispensability of the human corpus luteum in the maintenance of early pregnancy: luteectomy evidence.  Obstet Gynecol Surv . 1978;  33 69-81
  • 2 Lessey B, Castelbaum A, Buck C, Lei Y, Yowell C, Sun J. Further characterization of endometrial integrins during the menstrual cycle and in pregnancy.  Fertil Steril . 1994;  62 497-506
  • 3 Hey N, Graham R, Seif M, Aplin J. The polymorphic epithelial mucin MUC1 in human endometrium is regulated with maximal expression in the implantation phase.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1994;  78 337-342
  • 4 Cullinan E, Abbondanzo S, Anderson P, Pollard J, Lessey B, Stewart C. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and LIF receptor expression in endometrium suggests a potential autocrine/paracrine function in regulating embryo implantation.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 1996;  93 3115-3120
  • 5 Taylor H, Arici A, Olive D, Igarashi P. HOXA10 is expressed in response to sex steroids at the time of implantation in the human endometrium.  J Clin Invest . 1998;  101 1379-1384
  • 6 Seppala M, Tiitinen A. Endometrial responses to corpus luteum products in cycles with induced ovulation: theoretical and practical considerations.  Hum Reprod . 1995;  10(suppl 2) 67-76
  • 7 Seppala M, Riittinen L, Julkunen M. Structural studies, localization in tissue and clinical aspects of human endometrial proteins.  J Reprod Fertil . 1988;  36 127-141
  • 8 Bell S, Drife J. Secretory proteins of the endometrium-potential markers for endometrial dysfunction.  Baillieres Clin Obstet Gynaecol . 1989;  3 271-291
  • 9 Seppala M, Bohn H, Tatarinov Y. Glycodelins.  Tumour Biol . 1998;  19 213-220
  • 10 Bell S, Bohn H. Immunochemical and biochemical relationship between human pregnancy-associated secreted endometrial alpha 1- and alpha 2-globulins (α1- and α2-PEG) and the soluble placental proteins 12 and 14 (PP12 and PP14).  Placenta . 1986;  7 283-294
  • 11 Joshi S. Progestin-dependent human endometrial protein: a marker for monitoring human endometrial function.  Adv Exp Med Biol . 1987;  230 167-186
  • 12 Chryssikopoulos A, Mantzavinos T, Kanakas N, Karagouni E, Dotsika E, Zourlas P. Correlation of serum and follicular fluid concentrations of placental protein 14 and CA-125 in in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer patients.  Fertil Steril . 1996;  66 599-603
  • 13 Koistinen H, Koistinen R, Dell A. Glycodelin from seminal plasma is a differentially glycosylated form of contraceptive glycodelin-A.  Mol Hum Reprod . 1996;  2 759-765
  • 14 Kamarainen M, Riittinen L, Seppala M, Palotie A, Andersson L. Progesterone-associated endometrial protein: a constitutive marker of human erythroid precursors.  Blood . 1994;  84 467-473
  • 15 Kamarainen M, Halttunen M, Koistinen R. Expression of glycodelin in human breast and breast cancer.  Int J Cancer . 1999;  83 738-742
  • 16 Kim J, Ramachandran S, Zhou H, Rayner D, Parthasarathy S. Implications in the maintenance of pregnancy: I. Presence of immunoreactive glycodelin in human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells.  Fertil Steril . 2000;  73 839-842
  • 17 Poddar A, Kim J, Gill K. Generation and characterization of a polyclonal antipeptide antibody to human glycodelin.  Fertil Steril . 1998;  69 543-548
  • 18 Julkunen M, Seppala M, Janne O. Complete amino acid sequence of human placental protein 14: a progesterone-regulated uterine protein homologous to beta-lactoglobulins.  Proc Nat Acad Sci U S A . 1988;  85 8845-8849
  • 19 Vaisse C, Atger M, Potier B, Milgrom E. Human placental protein 14 gene: sequence and characterization of a short duplication.  DNA Cell Biol . 1990;  9 401-413
  • 20 Van Cong N, Vaisse C, Gross M, Slim R, Milgrom E, Bernheim A. The human placental protein 14 (PP14) gene is localized on chromosome 9q34.  Hum Genetics . 1991;  86 515-518
  • 21 Koistinen H, Koistinen R, Seppala M, Burova T V, Choiset Y, Haertlae T. Glycodelin and beta-lactoglobulin, lipocalins with a high structural similarity, differ in ligand binding properties.  FEBS Lett . 1999;  450 158-162
  • 22 Rutanen E, Koistinen R, Seppala M, Julkunen M, Suikkari A, Huhtala M. Progesterone-associated proteins PP12 and PP14 in the human endometrium.  J Steroid Biochem . 1987;  27 25-31
  • 23 Mandelin E, Koistinen H, Koistinen R, Affandi B, Seppala M. Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device- wearing women express contraceptive glycodelin A in endometrium during midcycle: another contraceptive mechanism?.  Hum Reprod . 1997;  12 2671-2675
  • 24 Joshi S, Rao R, Henriques E, Raikar R, Gordon M. Luteal phase concentrations of a progestagen-associated endometrial protein (PEP) in the serum of cycling women with adequate or inadequate endometrium.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1986;  63 1247-1249
  • 25 Dalton C, Laird S, Estdale S, Saravelos H, Li T. Endometrial protein PP14 and CA-125 in recurrent miscarriage patients; correlation with pregnancy outcome.  Hum Reprod . 1998;  13 3197-3202
  • 26 Byrjalsen I, Riis B, Christiansen C. The measurement of secretory endometrial protein PP14 in serum from postmenopausal women receiving unopposed estrogen or continuously combined estrogen/progestogen.  Gynecol Endocrinol . 1989;  3 143-152
  • 27 Haenggi W, Bersinger N, Altermatt H, Birkhaeuser M. Placental protein 14 (PP14) does not predict endometrial status under hormone replacement therapy.  Gynecol Endocrinol . 1997;  11 51-57
  • 28 Ren S, Braunstein G. Progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin do not stimulate placental proteins 12 and 14 or prolactin production by human decidual tissue in vitro.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1990;  70 983-989
  • 29 Critchley H, Chard T, Olajide F. Role of the ovary in the synthesis of placental protein-14.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1992;  75 97-100
  • 30 Stewart D R, Erikson M S, Erikson M E. The role of relaxin in glycodelin secretion.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1997;  82 839-846
  • 31 Noyes R, Hertig A, Rock J. Dating the endometrial biopsy.  Fertil Steril . 1950;  1 3-25
  • 32 Ryan I P, Schriock E D, Taylor R N. Isolation, characterization, and comparison of human endometrial and endometriosis cells in vitro.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1994;  78 642-649
  • 33 Taylor R N, Savouret J F, Vaisse C. Promegestone (R5020) and mifepristone (RU486) both function as progestational agonists of human glycodelin gene expression in isolated human epithelial cells.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1998;  83 4006-4012
  • 34 Taylor R N, Vigne J L, Zhang P, Hoang P, Lebovic D I, Mueller M D. Effects of progestins and relaxin on glycodelin gene expression in human endometrial cells.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 2000;  182 841-847
  • 35 Chatzaki E, Gallagher C J, Iles R K. Characterisation of the differential expression of marker antigens by normal and malignant endometrial epithelium.  Br J Cancer . 1994;  69 1010-1014
  • 36 Shifren J, Tseng J, Zaloudek C. Ovarian steroid regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in the human endometrium: implications for angiogenesis during the menstrual cycle and in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1996;  81 3112-3118
  • 37 Westwood O, Chapman M, Totty N, Philp R, Bolton A, Lazarus N. N-terminal sequence analysis of human placental protein 14, purified in high yield from decidual cytosol.  J Reprod Fertil . 1988;  82 493-500
  • 38 Bradford M. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding.  Anal Biochem . 1976;  72 248-254
  • 39 Pala A, Padula F, Barteri M. Rapid purification and properties of human glycodelin (endometrial alpha2-globulin).  J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl . 1997;  704 25-34
  • 40 Matsudaira P. Sequence from picomole quantities of proteins electroblotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride membranes.  J Biol Chem . 1987;  262 10035-10038
  • 41 Zhang P, Mellon S. The orphan nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor-1 regulates the cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate-mediated transcriptional activation of rat cytochrome P450c17 (17 alpha-hydroxylase/c17-20 lyase).  Mol Endocrinol . 1996;  10 147-158
  • 42 Guiochon-Mantel A, Loosfelt H, Lescop P. Mechanisms of nuclear localization of the progesterone receptor: evidence for interaction between monomers.  Cell . 1989;  57 1147-1154
  • 43 Huhtala M, Seppala M, Narvanen A, Palomaki P, Julkunen M, Bohn H. Amino acid sequence homology between human placental protein 14 and beta-lactoglobulins from various species.  Endocrinology . 1987;  120 2620-2622
  • 44 Tseng L, Zhu H H, Mazella J, Koistinen H, Seppala M. Relaxin stimulates glycodelin mRNA and protein concentrations in human endometrial glandular epithelial cells.  Mol Hum Reprod . 1999;  5 372-375
  • 45 Kahmann S, Vassen L, Klein-Hitpass L. Synergistic enhancement of PRB-mediated RU486 and R5020 agonist activities through cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate represents a delayed primary response.  Mol Endocrinol . 1998;  12 278-289
  • 46 Critchley H, Healy D, Chard T. Is ovarian relaxin a stimulus to placental protein 14 secretion in pregnancy?.  J Endocrinol . 1994;  142 375-378
  • 47 Arthur I, Anthony F, Adams S, Thomas E. Serum relaxin and the major endometrial secretory proteins in in-vitro fertilization and down-regulated hormone-supported and natural frozen embryo transfer.  Hum Reprod . 1996;  11 88-91
  • 48 Hausermann H, Donnelly K, Bell S, Verhage H, Fazleabas A. Regulation of the glycosylated beta-lactoglobulin homolog, glycodelin [placental protein 14 (PP14)] in the baboon (Papio anubis) uterus.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1998;  83 1226-1233
  • 49 Laird S, Tuckerman E, Saravelos H, Li T. The production of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by human endometrial cells in culture.  Hum Reprod . 1996;  11 1318-1323
  • 50 Rachmilewitz J, Riely G, Tykocinski M. Placental protein 14 functions as a direct T-cell inhibitor.  Cell Immunol . 1999;  191 26-33
  • 51 Stewart J, Bulmer J, Murdoch A. Endometrial leucocytes: expression of steroid hormone receptors.  J Clin Pathol . 1998;  51 121-126
  • 52 Bulmer J, Morrison L, Longfellow M, Ritson A, Pace D. Granulated lymphocytes in human endometrium: histochemical and immunohistochemical studies.  Hum Reprod . 1991;  6 791-798
  • 53 Seppala M. Glycodelins: biological activity in reproduction and differentiation.  Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol . 1999;  11 261-263
  • 54 Oehninger S, Coddington C, Hodgen G, Seppala M. Factors affecting fertilization: endometrial placental protein 14 reduces the capacity of human spermatozoa to bind to the human zona pellucida.  Fertil Steril . 1995;  63 377-383
  • 55 Dell A, Morris H R, Easton R L. Structural analysis of the oligosaccharides derived from glycodelin, a human glycoprotein with potent immunosuppressive and contraceptive activities.  J Biol Chem . 1995;  270 24116-24126
  • 56 Quagliarello J, Szlachter N, Steinetz B, Goldsmith L, Weiss G. Serial relaxin concentrations in human pregnancy.  Am J Obstet Gynecol . 1979;  135 43-44
  • 57 Seppala M, Koistinen H, Koistinen R. Glycodelins as regulators of early events of reproduction.  J Endocrinol . 1979;  135 43-44
    >