Suzuki H, Kanagawa H, Nishihira J
Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapparo, Japan.
Immunol Lett. 1996 Jul;51(3):141-7. doi: 10.1016/0165-2478(96)02543-6.
Cytokines appear to play a critical role in the establishment of early pregnancy. In this study, we examined the mRNA expression of murine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), one of the cytokines activating macrophages, in the murine reproductive system by Northern blot analysis. It revealed that MIF mRNA was expressed in the ovary, the oviduct and the uterus during the pre-implantation period and all stages of the estrus cycle. The histological localization of MIF in the uterus was examined by an immunohistochemical method, which revealed that MIF was mostly present in the tunica muscularis. It was, moreover, demonstrated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that MIF mRNA was expressed in the ovulated oocytes, zygotes, 2-cell embryos, 8-cell embryos and blastocysts. MIF is known to be present in T-lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages; however, it was revealed by the present study that MIF mRNA is expressed in the reproductive organs and the early stages of embryos. Considering these results, it s suggested that MIF plays an important role in the establishment of pregnancy.
细胞因子似乎在早期妊娠的建立过程中发挥着关键作用。在本研究中，我们通过Northern印迹分析检测了小鼠巨噬细胞迁移抑制因子（MIF）（一种激活巨噬细胞的细胞因子）在小鼠生殖系统中的mRNA表达。结果显示，在植入前期和发情周期的各个阶段，MIF mRNA均在卵巢、输卵管和子宫中表达。采用免疫组织化学方法检测了MIF在子宫中的组织学定位，结果显示MIF主要存在于肌层。此外，通过逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）证实，MIF mRNA在排卵的卵母细胞、受精卵、2细胞胚胎、8细胞胚胎和囊胚中均有表达。已知MIF存在于T淋巴细胞和单核细胞/巨噬细胞中；然而，本研究表明MIF mRNA在生殖器官和胚胎早期阶段均有表达。综合这些结果，提示MIF在妊娠建立过程中发挥重要作用。
