Greca C D, Nader H B, Dietrich C P, Abrahamsohn P A, Zorn T M
Laboratory of Extracellular Matrix, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil.
Anat Rec. 2000 Aug 1;259(4):413-23. doi: 10.1002/1097-0185(20000801)259:4<413::AID-AR50>3.0.CO;2-O.
The decidual reaction in mice is characterized by the transformation of a specific population of endometrial fibroblasts into epithelioid cells, known as decidual cells. An important feature of decidualization in mice is a remarkable modification of the endometrial extracellular matrix. The present work is an ultrastructural cytochemical study of matrix with the purpose of analyzing the arrangement of collagen-associated proteoglycans (PGs) at various regions of nulliparous endometrium and of the antimesometrial decidua of mice using the cationic dye cuprolinic blue associated with enzymatic treatments with chondroitinase ABC, chondroitinase AC, and hyaluronidase. The staining with cuprolinic blue showed PGs as rods and granules of several sizes. Rods measuring 40-60 nm in length (named F2-rods) were apposed to thin collagen fibrils whereas granules were associated with thick collagen fibrils, particularly in the region occupied by mature decidual cells on the 7th day of pregnancy. The amount of granules was higher than that of F2-rods. Both F2-rods and granules were affected by chondroitinase ABC or AC treatment, indicating that they were PGs containing chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate chains. However, the granules associated with thick collagen fibrils were more resistant to chondroitinase AC treatment than F2-rods, indicating the presence of dermatan sulfate chains that contain both L-iduronic and D-glucuronic acid sugar residues. We suggest that the differences of the nature and amount of PGs may be associated with the changes of the thickness of collagen fibrils observed during decidualization of the endometrium in the mouse.
小鼠的蜕膜反应特征是特定群体的子宫内膜成纤维细胞转化为类上皮细胞，即蜕膜细胞。小鼠蜕膜化的一个重要特征是子宫内膜细胞外基质的显著改变。本研究是一项关于基质的超微结构细胞化学研究，目的是利用与软骨素酶ABC、软骨素酶AC和透明质酸酶的酶处理相结合的阳离子染料铜叶绿酸蓝，分析未孕小鼠子宫内膜各区域以及小鼠抗中膜蜕膜中胶原相关蛋白聚糖（PGs）的排列情况。铜叶绿酸蓝染色显示PGs为几种不同大小的杆状物和颗粒。长度为40 - 60 nm的杆状物（命名为F2 - 杆）与细胶原纤维并列，而颗粒与粗胶原纤维相关，特别是在妊娠第7天成熟蜕膜细胞占据的区域。颗粒的数量高于F2 - 杆。F2 - 杆和颗粒都受到软骨素酶ABC或AC处理的影响，表明它们是含有硫酸软骨素和硫酸皮肤素链的PGs。然而，与粗胶原纤维相关的颗粒比F2 - 杆对软骨素酶AC处理更具抗性，表明存在同时含有L - 艾杜糖醛酸和D - 葡萄糖醛酸糖残基的硫酸皮肤素链。我们认为，PGs的性质和数量差异可能与小鼠子宫内膜蜕膜化过程中观察到的胶原纤维厚度变化有关。
