TY - JOUR
T1 - Progesterone threshold determines nucleolar channel system formation in human endometrium
AU - Nejat, Edward J.
AU - Szmyga, Michael J.
AU - Zapantis, Gregory
AU - Meier, U. Thomas
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: The study was supported by the March of Dimes Birth Defects foundation ( 1-FY09-363 to U.T.M.); Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Parsippany, New Jersey , and East Coast Fertility, Plainview, New York (to GZ); and the CMBG Training Program (T32 GM007491 to MJS).
PY - 2014/7
Y1 - 2014/7
N2 - Nucleolar channel systems (NCSs), micron-sized organelles specific to nuclei of human endometrial epithelial cells (EECs), are robust markers of the midluteal phase under the apparent control of progesterone. To gain further insight into the role of progesterone in NCS formation, we quantitatively assessed their sensitivity to oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) using immunofluorescence-based detection of NCSs. Comparison of endometrial biopsies and serum progesterone levels on cycle day (CD) 10 and 20 (LH +6/7) of 6 naturally cycling women and 6 OCP users demonstrated that OCPs interfered with NCS formation on CD20, their natural peak presence. Although this confirmed prior observation based on electron microscopic sampling, OCPs unexpectedly induced limited but distinct amounts of NCSs already on CD10, when they are never present in natural cycles. Thus, OCPs can cause secretory changes in the endometrium during the proliferative phase. In a novel finding, robust NCS formation on CD20 was dependent on a 4 ng/mL progesterone threshold but did not correlate linearly with serum progesterone levels. Given the threshold being close to that serving as evidence for ovulation, NCSs can serve as ovulation markers.
AB - Nucleolar channel systems (NCSs), micron-sized organelles specific to nuclei of human endometrial epithelial cells (EECs), are robust markers of the midluteal phase under the apparent control of progesterone. To gain further insight into the role of progesterone in NCS formation, we quantitatively assessed their sensitivity to oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) using immunofluorescence-based detection of NCSs. Comparison of endometrial biopsies and serum progesterone levels on cycle day (CD) 10 and 20 (LH +6/7) of 6 naturally cycling women and 6 OCP users demonstrated that OCPs interfered with NCS formation on CD20, their natural peak presence. Although this confirmed prior observation based on electron microscopic sampling, OCPs unexpectedly induced limited but distinct amounts of NCSs already on CD10, when they are never present in natural cycles. Thus, OCPs can cause secretory changes in the endometrium during the proliferative phase. In a novel finding, robust NCS formation on CD20 was dependent on a 4 ng/mL progesterone threshold but did not correlate linearly with serum progesterone levels. Given the threshold being close to that serving as evidence for ovulation, NCSs can serve as ovulation markers.
KW - endometrial receptivity
KW - endometrium
KW - nucleolar channel system
KW - oral contraceptive pills
KW - progesterone
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U2 - 10.1177/1933719113519177
DO - 10.1177/1933719113519177
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84904632831
SN - 1933-7191
VL - 21
SP - 915
EP - 920
JO - Reproductive Sciences
JF - Reproductive Sciences
IS - 7
ER -