Regulated temporal and spatial expression of the calcium‐binding proteins calcyclin and opn (osteopontin) in mouse tissues during pregnancy

Abstract

In situ hybridization and northern/slot blot analyses were used to quantify the expression of calcyclin (2A9, 5B10), osteopontin (opn, secreted phosphoprotein, 2ar) and calmodulin mRNAs in mouse tissues that support pregnancy. High-to-moderate levels of the mRNAs of all three genes were detected at discrete locations in the uterus, decidua and placenta as a function of gestation time. Calmodulin expression was constant in these tissues; calcyclin mRNA was high during early pregnancy and declined after day 8-9 of gestation; and opn mRNA was undetectable before day 7, with maximal levels on days 9-12 in each of these tissues. Calcyclin, but not opn, expression was also observed in the chorioamnion after day 12. Calcyclin was expressed throughout the decidua on day 8 but became restricted to the primary (antimesometrial) decidual zone and decidua lateralis on day 9, and the decidua capsularis after day 9. By contrast, opn mRNA was localized on day 9 to the mesometrial triangle, which contains a large population of granulated metrial gland cells, and to the decidua basalis. These two genes may serve as markers for the two types of decidual tissue. We suggest that one function of OPN, which may be an indicator of cells in the decidua that have a bone marrow genealogy, is to mediate the flux of calcium from the maternal circulation to the developing embryo.

Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (osteopontin) is expressed by stromal macrophages in cyclic and pregnant endometrium of mice, but is induced by estrogen in luminal epithelium during conceptus attachment for implantation

“…In contrast to a previous report using northern blotting (Waterhouse et al 1992), Spp1 mRNA was detected throughout the estrous cycle and through day 6 of pregnancy using the more sensitive methodology of RT-PCR (Table 1). However, no differences in Spp1 were evident between all days measured.…”

“…Induced Spp1 in pregnant uterine epithelium mice (Waterhouse et al 1992, Liaw et al 1998. First, Spp1 initially escaped detection in mouse uterus between days 1 and 8 of pregnancy (Waterhouse et al 1992).…”

“…First, Spp1 initially escaped detection in mouse uterus between days 1 and 8 of pregnancy (Waterhouse et al 1992). Secondly, no reproductive phenotype was detected during initial examination of mice with targeted disruption of the Spp1 gene (Liaw et al 1998).…”

“…Spp1 null mice manifest decreased pregnancy rates during mid-gestation as compared with wild-type counterparts (Weintraub et al 2004), suggesting peri-implantation pregnancy loss. While it has been reported that Spp1 is expressed in mouse decidua, Spp1 expression during the peri-implantation period has not been investigated completely (Nomura et al 1988, Waterhouse et al 1992. Therefore, as a basis for experiments to determine the mechanistic nature of critical functions of Spp1 during the peri-implantation period, the objectives of these studies were to describe the temporal and the spatial changes in Spp1 mRNA and protein in the mouse uterus during early gestation that may underlie the reproductive phenotype in Spp1 null mice, and to determine whether these changes can be attributed to alterations in steroid hormones.…”

Differential expression of secreted frizzled-related protein 4 in decidual cells during pregnancy

“…Some of the isolated clones corresponded to expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Seven differentially expressed clones were isolated from 50 clones and six out of seven clones were previously known genes that up-regulate during pregnancy, namely; -2 macroglobulin (Fletcher et al 1988, Thomas 1993, placental lactogen II (Faria et al 1990), calcyclin (Thordarson et al 1991, Waterhouse et al 1992, plasma glutathione peroxidase (Takahashi et al 1990), amiloridebinding protein (Lingueglia et al 1993), and pregnancy-specific glycoprotein rnCGM . Interestingly, the last clone out of the seven isolates was identical to sFRP4, which was identified as a novel up-regulated gene during pregnancy.…”