Vol 49, No 1 (2011)
Original paper
Published online: 2011-04-19
Expression of HOXA-10 and HOXA-11 in the endometria of women with idiopathic infertility
DOI: 10.5603/FHC.2011.0016
Folia Histochem Cytobiol 2011;49(1):111-118.
Abstract
In fertile women, HOXA-10 and HOXA-11 expression rises during the luteal phase, with the peak
occurring during the implantation window, and stays at a high level until the end of the cycle. We evaluated the
transcript and protein levels of HOXA-10 and HOXA-11 in the endometria of patients with idiopathic infertility
(n = 15) and control patients (n = 10). The amounts of mRNA were determined by reverse transcription and
real-time quantitative PCR. The protein levels were evaluated by Western blotting analysis. Using immunohistochemical
techniques, we compared the localization of HOXA-10 and HOXA-11 proteins in the implantation
window between the study and control groups. We observed statistically significantly decreased HOXA-10 and
HOXA-11 transcript levels (p = 0.003, p = 0.012 respectively) in infertile patients compared to controls. There
was no significant decrease in HOXA-10 protein levels between these groups (p = 0.074). However, we observed
a significantly higher level of HOXA-11 protein in the endometria of infertile patients compared to
controls (p = 0.015). HOXA-10 and HOXA-11 proteins were localized in the nuclei of the endometrial stromal
cells. Immunohistochemical analyses did not reveal differences between amounts of HOXA-10 and HOXA-11
protein levels in infertility and control groups. Our results suggest that HOXA-10 and HOXA-11 gene expression
in the endometrium during the implantation window may not be altered in patients with idiopathic infertility.
(Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 111–118)
Keywords: HOXA-10HOXA-11endometriumidiopathic infertility