Leppert P C, Yu S Y
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital Division, N.Y. 14621.
Gynecol Obstet Invest. 1994;37(3):150-4. doi: 10.1159/000292546.
Cervical ripening in gestation occurs spontaneously in a timely but species-specific fashion as if it were genetically programmed. This study shows that the numbers of dying smooth muscle cells in the cervix increased along with cervical softening in pregnant rats from day 12 of gestation to day 21. The morphological characteristics of the chromatin cleavage in apoptosis are identified. Internucleosomal DNA fragments in the DNA preparations as well as the ladder pattern of double-stranded DNA observed on gel electrophoresis are observed. The deletion and decrease of the cell population in the cervices was demonstrated by a decrease of total DNA in these tissues. The interesting possibility is raised that programmed smooth muscle cell death in the cervix may be involved in the processes of the cervical ripening.
妊娠期宫颈成熟以一种适时但物种特异性的方式自发发生，就好像是由基因编程的一样。本研究表明，从妊娠第12天到第21天，妊娠大鼠宫颈中死亡的平滑肌细胞数量随着宫颈软化而增加。鉴定了凋亡过程中染色质裂解的形态学特征。观察到DNA制剂中的核小体间DNA片段以及凝胶电泳上观察到的双链DNA梯状条带。这些组织中总DNA的减少证明了宫颈中细胞群体的缺失和减少。由此提出了一个有趣的可能性，即宫颈中程序性平滑肌细胞死亡可能参与了宫颈成熟过程。
