Progesterone stimulates degradation of urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) in endometrial stromal cells by increasing its inhibitor and surface expression of the u-PA receptor.

Progesterone stimulates differentiation and inhibits the growth of endometrial tissue. Also, progesterone reduces plasminogen activator (PA) activity, which implies reduced turnover of extracellular matrix proteins in the secretory phase. To elucidate the mechanism responsible for reduced PA activity, primary cultures of human endometrial stromal cells were stimulated with estradiol and progesterone. Conditioned media were assayed for urokinase-type and tissue-type PA (u-PA and t-PA, respectively), PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and PA activity. Binding of [125I]u-PA and [125I]u-PA:PAI-1 complex to the u-PA receptor and clearance of these ligands were studied. The PA activity of conditioned medium decreased after stimulation with progesterone, and this was secondary to a decrease in u-PA, but not t-PA, and an increase in PAI-1. Northern blot analysis showed induction of PAI-1 messenger ribonucleic acid, whereas the content of u-PA messenger ribonucleic acid was not influenced. Furthermore, the number of free u-PA receptor-binding sites was increased by estradiol and progesterone. The stromal cells degraded complexed u-PA more efficiently than free u-PA, and degradation of both ligands was inhibited by colchicine, chloroquine, and methylamine. Degradation was increased after hormone treatment, and this was apparently due to increased ligand binding, because neither ligand affinity nor the relative rate of degradation was increased. Increased expression of u-PA receptor-binding sites was not regulated on the transcriptional level, but may result from posttranslational mechanisms, such as decreased turnover of the receptor. Activation of plasminogen by receptor bound u-PA initiates a cascade of proteolytic events in the extracellular matrix that is important during tissue proliferation. Our data suggest that differentiated endometrial stroma in the secretory phase regulates extracellular proteolysis by increased elimination of u-PA through increased release of PAI-1 and increased u-PA receptor density.