Human chorionic gonadotropin and 17-β estradiol regulation of human oviductin/oviduct specific glycoprotein mRNA expression in vitro

Objective: To determine whether oviduct mucosal cell culture with exogenous hCG or 17-beta estradiol (E-2) supports the continued production of oviductin, a putative embryotrophic protein. Design: Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of oviductin mRNA expression after oviduct mucosal cell culture in the presence of hCG or 17-beta E-2. Setting: University-based Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Subject(s): Ten women undergoing laparoscopy for tubal sterilization or hysterectomy for uterine fibroids. Intervention(s): The mucosal layer was isolated from the oviduct tissue, subjected to routine culture conditions with the addition of various concentrations of hCG or 17-beta E-2 or the equivalent vehicle-only control and semiquantitative RT-PCR performed. Main Outcome Measure(s): The relationship between exposure to hCG or 17-beta E-2 and expression of oviductin mRNA by cultured oviduct mucosal cells. Result(s): There was a significant increase in oviductin mRNA expression after the addition of hCG to the culture medium but only in samples that had maintained a baseline level of oviductin expression. Addition of 17-beta E-2 to the culture medium had no significant effect on oviductin mRNA expression. Conclusion(s): Under standard cell culture conditions, baseline human oviductin mRNA expression is increased by the addition of hCG. This effect is likely to be a secondary or synergistic effect as exogenous hCG failed to restore oviductin mRNA expression in samples where expression was lost after culture. E-2 failed to alter oviductin mRNA expression in oviduct mucosal cells cultured under these conditions. (C) 2003 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.