Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Hněvotínská 5, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital in Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University in Olomouc, Hněvotínská 3, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 5;24(2):1038. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021038.
Cervical mucus (CM) is a viscous fluid that is produced by the cervical glands and functions as a uterine cervix plug. Its viscosity decreases during ovulation, providing a window for non-invasive sampling. This study focuses on proteomic characterization of CM to evaluate its potential as a non-invasively acquired source of biomarkers and in understanding of molecular (patho)physiology of the female genital tract. The first objective of this work was to optimize experimental workflow for CM processing and the second was to assess differences in the proteomic composition of CM during natural ovulatory cycles obtained from intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles and in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Proteomic analysis of CM samples revealed 4370 proteins involved in processes including neutrophil degranulation, cellular stress responses, and hemostasis. Differential expression analysis revealed 199 proteins enriched in IUI samples and 422 enriched in IVF. The proteins enriched in IUI were involved in phosphatidic acid synthesis, responses to external stimulus, and neutrophil degranulation, while those enriched in IVF samples were linked to neutrophil degranulation, formation of a cornified envelope and hemostasis. Subsequent analyses clarified the protein composition of the CM and how it is altered by hormonal stimulation of the uterus.
宫颈黏液（CM）是由宫颈腺分泌的一种粘性液体，起到子宫颈塞的作用。其在排卵期间的黏度降低，为非侵入性采样提供了一个窗口期。本研究专注于 CM 的蛋白质组学特征分析，以评估其作为非侵入性获得生物标志物的潜在用途，并深入了解女性生殖道的分子（病理）生理学。这项工作的首要目标是优化 CM 处理的实验工作流程，其次是评估来自宫腔内人工授精（IUI）和控制性卵巢过度刺激的体外受精（IVF）周期中自然排卵周期的 CM 蛋白质组组成差异。CM 样本的蛋白质组学分析揭示了 4370 种参与包括嗜中性粒细胞脱颗粒、细胞应激反应和止血在内的过程的蛋白质。差异表达分析显示，IUI 样本中富含 199 种蛋白质，而 IVF 样本中富含 422 种蛋白质。IUI 样本中富含的蛋白质参与磷脂酸合成、对外界刺激的反应和嗜中性粒细胞脱颗粒，而 IVF 样本中富含的蛋白质与嗜中性粒细胞脱颗粒、形成角蛋白包膜和止血有关。后续分析阐明了 CM 的蛋白质组成以及子宫激素刺激如何改变其组成。
