Gipson I K, Spurr-Michaud S, Moccia R, Zhan Q, Toribara N, Ho S B, Gargiulo A R, Hill J A
Schepens Eye Research Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School,Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Biol Reprod. 1999 Jan;60(1):58-64. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod60.1.58.
Mucins secreted by the endocervical epithelium protect the surfaces of the reproductive tract epithelium from pathogen penetrance and modulate sperm entry into the uterus. Three large gel-forming mucins, MUCs 5AC, 5B, and 6, are expressed by the endocervical epithelium, as is MUC4, a relatively uncharacterized mucin for which only tandem repeat sequence has been reported. We sought to determine the relative abundance of each of these mucin gene transcripts and to relate their expression to blood progesterone and estradiol. Samples were obtained from six subjects at successive stages in the menstrual cycle. Primers to nontandem repeat sequences of MUCs 4, 5AC, 5B, and 6 were used in semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to determine relative abundance of each mucin gene in relation to beta2-microglobulin message control. In order to design primers from a nontandem repeat region of MUC4 so that MUC4 message levels could be quantitated, we obtained approximately 2.7-kilobase nontandem repeat sequence 5' to the tandem repeat sequence of a MUC4 genomic clone. The sequence showed lack of cysteine-rich D-domains and was rich in serine and threonine. Semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses indicated that the principal mucin transcripts of human endocervix are MUC4 and MUC5B, with MUC4 predominant in 15 of 21 samples. When correlated with plasma steroid levels, message levels of both MUC4 and MUC5B were inversely related to progesterone levels.
子宫颈内膜上皮分泌的黏蛋白可保护生殖道上皮表面免受病原体侵入，并调节精子进入子宫。子宫颈内膜上皮表达三种大型凝胶形成黏蛋白，即MUC5AC、MUC5B和MUC6，还有MUC4，这是一种相对未被充分研究的黏蛋白，目前仅报道了其串联重复序列。我们试图确定这些黏蛋白基因转录本各自的相对丰度，并将它们的表达与血液中的孕酮和雌二醇联系起来。在月经周期的连续阶段从6名受试者身上采集样本。使用针对MUC4、MUC5AC、MUC5B和MUC6非串联重复序列的引物，通过半定量逆转录聚合酶链反应来确定每个黏蛋白基因相对于β2-微球蛋白信息对照的相对丰度。为了从MUC4的非串联重复区域设计引物，以便能够定量MUC4的信息水平，我们获得了一个MUC4基因组克隆串联重复序列5'端约2.7千碱基的非串联重复序列。该序列显示缺乏富含半胱氨酸的D结构域，富含丝氨酸和苏氨酸。半定量聚合酶链反应分析表明，人子宫颈的主要黏蛋白转录本是MUC4和MUC5B，其中MUC4在21个样本中的15个中占主导地位。当与血浆类固醇水平相关联时，MUC4和MUC5B的信息水平均与孕酮水平呈负相关。
