Department of Biological Science and Technology, Yonsei University, Wonju, 220-710, Republic of Korea.
Swine Science Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Cheonan, 330-801, Republic of Korea.
Theriogenology. 2017 Jul 1;96:85-91. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2017.04.007. Epub 2017 Apr 5.
It has been well established that interleukin 6 (IL6), a pleiotropic cytokine with multiple functional roles, is widely expressed in the female reproductive tract and mediates blastocyst implantation and placental development in many species. Uterine expression of IL6 during early pregnancy has been studied in pigs, but expression and function of IL6 at the maternal-placental interface throughout pregnancy have not been determined. Thus, we examined expression of IL6 and its receptors, IL6 receptor (IL6R) and GP130, in the uterine endometrium on Days 12 and 15 of the estrous cycle, and Days 12, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 114 of pregnancy, conceptus on Days 12 and 15, and chorioallantoic tissues on Days 30, 60, 90, and 114 of pregnancy in pigs. The expression of IL6, IL6R, and GP130 mRNA in the endometrial tissues increased dramatically during mid-to late-pregnancy and decreased at term. IL6, IL6R, and GP130 mRNAs were also expressed in conceptus and chorioallantoic tissues. Expression of IL6 mRNA was mainly localized to endometrial epithelial and stromal cells and chorioallantoic tissues, while IL6R and GP130 mRNAs were localized to glandular epithelial cells during pregnancy. The expression of IL6 mRNA was decreased by estrogen and progesterone treatment, whereas increasing doses of IL1β induced the expression of IL6 mRNA, but not IL6R and GP130 mRNAs, in endometrial tissue explants. These results indicate that expression of IL6 and its receptors at the feto-maternal interface is regulated in a stage- and cell-type-specific manner during pregnancy, suggesting that IL6 and its receptor signaling system may play an important role in the maintenance of pregnancy in pigs.
已有大量研究证实，白细胞介素 6（IL6）是一种具有多种功能的多功能细胞因子，广泛存在于女性生殖道中，并在许多物种中介导胚泡着床和胎盘发育。人们已经研究了猪妊娠早期子宫中 IL6 的表达，但整个妊娠期间母胎界面的 IL6 及其受体（IL6R）和 GP130 的表达和功能尚未确定。因此，我们检测了发情周期第 12 和 15 天、妊娠第 12、15、30、60、90 和 114 天的子宫子宫内膜中 IL6 及其受体（IL6R）和 GP130 的表达，妊娠第 12 和 15 天的胚胎，以及妊娠第 30、60、90 和 114 天的绒毛膜-卵黄囊组织中 IL6、IL6R 和 GP130 的 mRNA 表达。在妊娠中期至晚期，子宫内膜组织中 IL6、IL6R 和 GP130 mRNA 的表达显著增加，并在足月时降低。胚胎和绒毛膜-卵黄囊组织中也表达了 IL6、IL6R 和 GP130 mRNA。IL6 mRNA 的表达主要定位于子宫内膜上皮细胞和基质细胞以及绒毛膜-卵黄囊组织，而妊娠期间 IL6R 和 GP130 mRNA 则定位于腺上皮细胞。雌激素和孕激素处理可降低 IL6 mRNA 的表达，而增加剂量的 IL1β 可诱导子宫内膜组织外植体中 IL6 mRNA 的表达，但不能诱导 IL6R 和 GP130 mRNA 的表达。这些结果表明，妊娠期间胎-母界面的 IL6 及其受体表达以阶段和细胞类型特异性的方式受到调节，表明 IL6 和其受体信号系统可能在猪妊娠的维持中发挥重要作用。
