Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Stimulated Interleukin-4-Induced-1 (IL4I1) Promotes Human Decidualization via Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor.

Decidualization is necessary for the successful establishment of early pregnancy in rodents and humans. Disturbed decidualization results in recurrent implantation failure, recurrent spontaneous abortion, and preeclampsia. Tryptophan (Trp), one of the essential amino acids in humans, has a positive effect on mammalian pregnancy. Interleukin 4-induced gene 1 (IL4I1) is a recently identified enzyme that can metabolize L-Trp to activate aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Although IDO1-catalyzed kynurenine (Kyn) from Trp has been shown to enhance human in vitro decidualization via activating AHR, whether IL4I1-catalyzed metabolites of Trp are involved in human decidualization is still unknown. In our study, human chorionic gonadotropin stimulates IL4I1 expression and secretion from human endometrial epithelial cells through ornithine decarboxylase-induced putrescine production. Either IL4I1-catalyzed indole-3-pyruvic acid (I3P) or its metabolite indole-3-aldehyde (I3A) from Trp is able to induce human in vitro decidualization by activating AHR. As a target gene of AHR, Epiregulin induced by I3P and I3A promotes human in vitro decidualization. Our study indicates that IL4I1-catalyzed metabolites from Trp can enhance human in vitro decidualization through AHR-Epiregulin pathway.

Nucleolar stress regulation of endometrial receptivity in mouse models and human cell lines.

Embryo implantation is essential to the successful establishment of pregnancy. A previous study has demonstrated that actinomycin D (ActD) could initiate the activation of mouse delayed implantation. However, the mechanism underlying this activation remains to be elucidated. A low dose of ActD is an inducer of nucleolar stress. This study was to examine whether nucleolar stress is involved in embryo implantation. We showed that nucleolar stress occurred when delayed implantation was activated by ActD in mice. ActD treatment also stimulated the Lif-STAT3 pathway. During early pregnancy, nucleolar stress was detected in the luminal epithelial cells during the receptive phase. Blastocyst-derived lactate could induce nucleolar stress in cultured luminal epithelial cells. The inhibition of nucleophosmin1 (NPM1), which was a marker of nucleolar stress, compromised uterine receptivity and decreased the implantation rates in pregnant mice. To translate these mouse data into humans, we examined nucleolar stress in human endometrium. Our data demonstrated that ActD-induced nucleolar stress had positive effects on the embryo attachment by upregulating IL32 expression in non-receptive epithelial cells rather than receptive epithelial cells. Our data should be the first to demonstrate that nucleolar stress is present during early pregnancy and is able to induce embryo implantation in both mice and humans.

Decidual expression and regulation of fatty acid desaturase 3 during mouse decidualization.

Decidualization is required for the successful establishment of pregnancy in rodents and primates. Fatty acid desaturase 3 (Fads3) belongs to the fatty acid desaturase family, which is a crucial enzyme for highly unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis. However, the expression, regulation and function of Fads3 during early pregnancy in mice are still unknown. In this study, we examined Fads3 expression, regulation and function during mouse decidualization. The expression of Fads3 is detected in the subluminal stromal cells at implantation site on day 5 of pregnancy, but not at inter-implantation site and in day 5 pseudopregnant uteri. Compared to delayed implantation, Fads3 is strongly expressed after delayed implantation is activated by estrogen treatment. From days 6 to 8, Fads3 mRNA signals are significantly detected in the decidua. In ovariectomized mice, estrogen significantly stimulates Fads3 expression. However, estrogen has no effect on Fads3 expression in ovariectomized ERα-deficient mice, suggesting that estrogen regulation on Fads3 expression is ERα dependent. When ovariectomized mice were treated with progesterone, Fads3 expression is significantly increased by progesterone. Progesterone stimulation on Fads3 expression is also detected in cultured stromal cells, which is abrogated by RU486 treatment. These data indicate that progesterone upregulation on Fads3 expression is progesterone receptor-dependent. Fads3 knockdown by siRNA reduces in vitro decidualization of mouse stromal cells. Taken together, Fads3 may play an important role during mouse decidualization.