Artificial uterus using endometrium implant can be a novel treatment strategy for infertile women with refractory endometrial dysfunction. At early pregnancy, the function of uterine endometrial cells for the communication between the conceptus of pre-implantation period and maternal reproductive system is essential.
MicroRNA (miR) expression profile of endometrial cells according to
progesterone, a crucial pregnancy-maintaining
hormone, provides important data for in vitro endometrial cell culture strategy that is useful for engineering artificial uteri using endometrial implants. The present study aimed to evaluate the miR expression profile of in vitro cultured endometrial cells under hormonal milieu mimicking early pregnancy period in terms of
progesterone concentration. We cultured murine uterine endometrial cells, human uterine
endometrial carcinoma cells, and immortalized human uterine endometrial cells using different
progesterone concentrations, and analyzed the expression of miRs critical for early pregnancy. The expression of miR-20a, -21, -196a, -199a, and -200a was differently regulated according to
progesterone concentration in different endometrial cell lines. The analysis of candidate target genes showed that the expression of
phosphatase and
tensin homolog,
mucin 1 (MUC1),
progesterone receptor,
transforming growth factor β receptor II, matrix metallopeptidase-9 was up-regulated by
progesterone treatment in mouse and human endometrial cell lines. These results indicate that physiological concentration range (10-7 and 10-9 M) of
progesterone affect the survival and target gene expression via modulating miR expression. Taken together,
progesterone can be a crucial factor in regulating miR expression on in vitro cultured endometrial cells.