[Glycosphingolipids in human uterine endometrium: expression of sulfoglycolipids and its fluctuation during menstrual cycle].

Glycosphingolipids, which have recently attracted attention due to their biological significance in cell membrane, human uterine endometrium and endometrial cancer cell lines were analyzed biochemically. Among the neutral and acidic glycosphingolipids in uterine endometrium, the concentration of sulfatide, I3Sulfo-GalCer, significantly increased 16-fold from the proliferative to the secretory phases of the menstrual cycle, suggesting that sex steroid hormones induce sulfotransferase, which is responsible for the synthesis of sulfatide. On the other hand, SNG-II and SNG-M derived from endometrial adenocarcinoma showed a predominant synthetic capacity for I3Sulfo-LacCer and II3Sulfo-Gg3Cer. The apparent Km of cerebroside sulfotransferase in SNG-II was about 60 microM, whereas gynecological cancer cell lines established from different regions of the tumor did not show a synthetic capacity for sulfoglycolipids. The present study suggested that sulfoglycolipids are closely related to the cell function of uterine endometrium in association with sex steroid hormones, and that endometrial cancer cell lines are useful in investigating the biological functions of sulfoglycolipids.