Poster Presentations
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Involvement of the WNT pathway in endometriosis
Juliane Hundt, PhD Student, TU Dortmund
Introduction: Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder defined by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus causing heavy menstrual and chronic pelvic pain and subfertility. The WNT pathway is essentially involved in proliferation and migration being mandatory for normal function of the reproductive system. In this study we aim to investigate the involvement of the WNT pathway in endometriosis.
Methods: The overall WNT gene expression was investigated on distinct epithelial and stromal endometrial cells from patients with and without endometriosis, separated via Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM). Results were confirmed through TaqMan analyses. Subsequently siRNA knockdown or protein overexpression of potential candidates was conducted to examine functional consequences on WNT activity, proliferation, apoptosis and migration in endometrial stromal cells.
Results: The study revealed several dysregulated WNT pathway members in endometriosis. In depth analysis of the G-protein coupled receptor LGR5 showed that its downregulation resulted in decreased WNT activity, viability, and migration but increased apoptosis. Overexpression of LGR5 exhibited reverse results.
Conclusion: Endometriotic lesions may be characterized by increased viability and migration, and decreased apoptosis ensuring the survival in the uterine cavity. These findings strongly enhance the suspicion that LGR5 and the WNT pathway in general may contribute to endometriosis.
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