Immunohistochemical localization of basic fibroblast growth factor within the mouse uterus

Abstract

Summary. Uterine samples were either rapidly frozen in liquid nitrogen or placed in Bouin's fixative. A commercial primary polyclonal antibody made in rabbits against human recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was used. Western blot analysis indicated that the antibody was specific for bFGF and did not react with acidic FGF. The primary antibody was followed by either goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) conjugated to the fluorescent phycobiliprotein tracer phycoerythrin or biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG and a biotin\p=n-\avidin\p=n-\peroxidase complex. Specificity controls using adjacent sections were carried out by (i) substituting normal rabbit sera for the primary antisera, (ii) omitting the primary antisera or (iii) extracting sections with NaCl (2 mol l \ m=-\ 1) prior to the immunochemical procedures. No binding of the antibody was observed with any of the specificity control sections. The connective tissue stroma and the basal lamina associated with uterine glandular and surface epithelial layers were positive for bFGF. Localization was not observed within surface or glandular epithelial cells. The basal lamina and endothelial cells associated with blood vessels within the uterus and the smooth muscle cells of the myometrium were positive for bFGF. There were no differences in uterine localization patterns or intensity during the oestrous cycle or after ovariectomy and steroid hormone supplementation. These studies demonstrate the specific localization of bFGF within the mouse uterus.

Temporal regulation of fibroblast growth factors and their receptors in the endometrium and conceptus during the pre-implantation period of pregnancy in cattle

“…Studies on FGF2 in both the primate (Samathanam et al 1998) and mouse uterus (Wordinger et al 1992) reported no response of FGF2 to altered E 2 concentrations. This is in contrast to previous studies on FGF2 in the bovine endometrium whereby FGF2 expression was highest at oestrus and decreased on subsequent days of the luteal phase of the cycle (Michael et al 2006).…”

Tenascin in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Rat Uterus: Unique Spatio-Temporal Expression during Decidualization1

“…Recently, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was shown to be a more potent inducer of tenascin expression than TGF3 [48]. Basic FGF has been shown to be present within the ECM of the mouse uterus [49] and to be associated with the decidual cells during early pregnancy in the rat [50]; it must therefore be considered as a possible factor in the regulation of tenascin expression in this site.…”

Developmental and hormonal regulated gene expression of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and its receptors in porcine endometrium

“…Concerning the presence and biological role of the reported FGFs within reproductive tissues, numerous studies have accumulated. FGF-2 was detected by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in primate uterus [8], porcine uterine and conceptus tissues [9] as well as mouse uterus [10]. FGF-2 is expressed during gastrulation in the rabbit [11], involved in blastocyst implantation in mice [12,13] as well as in human endometrial neovascularization [14,15].…”