Cell Cycle Signaling Pathway by Cyclins-CDKs and CDKIs in Endometriosis / 대한산부인과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to evaluate the cell cycle signaling pathway by cyclins-cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) in endometriosis. METHODS: 38 women with endometriosis were recruited. Endometrioma and the normal ovarian tissues were obtained during laparoscopic surgery on the follicular phase of menstrual cycle. And then, the normal endometrial tissues were taken by currettage. Nuclear proteins (cyclin D1, cyclin E etc), CDK molecules and CDK inhibitors (p27(kip1), p21 etc) were quantitated on transcriptional and translational levels by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: In RT-PCR analysis, the expression of cyclin D1-CDK6, cyclin E-CDK2 of endometrioma and eutopic endometrium was increased, and the expression of p27(kip1) was decreased compared with normal ovary. The mRNA expression of cyclins-CDKs and p27(kip1) was not significantly different between endometrioma and eutopic endometrium. In Western blot analysis, the expression of cyclin D1-CDK6, cyclin E-CDK2 was significantly increased and the expression of p27(kip1) was significantly decreased in endometrioma and eutopic endometrium compared with normal ovary. And, the expression of p27(kip1) in endometrioma was further decreased than that of eutopic endometrium. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that p27(kip1) on the translational level, in the cell cycle signaling pathway, was closely related to endometriosis. In future, further experimental studies will be needed for the understanding of the cell cycle signaling pathway in endometriosis.