Otsuki Y, Misaki O, Sugimoto O, Ito Y, Tsujimoto Y, Akao Y
Department of Anatomy and Biology, Osaka Medical College, Japan.
Lancet. 1994 Jul 2;344(8914):28-9. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(94)91051-0.
To investigate an apoptotic role for bcl-2 in menses, we studied bcl-2 protein production throughout the cycle. Bcl-2 protein was observed in endometrial glandular, stromal and myometrial smooth-muscle cells. Glandular cells expressed bcl-2 at proliferative through early secretory phases but not at late secretory through menstrual phases. This cyclic expression of bcl-2 gene was similar to that of oestrogen and progesterone receptors. Thus bcl-2 expression in glandular cells may be regulated by ovarian hormones. The disappearance of bcl-2 expression in glandular cells at late secretory phase was consistent with the appearance of apoptotic cells in the same phase.
