Curr Issues Mol Biol 2021 Nov 26;43(3):2111-2123. Epub 2021 Nov 26.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka 573-1010, Japan.
Cyclic changes, such as growth, decidualization, shedding, and regeneration, in the human endometrium are regulated by the reciprocal action of female hormones, such as estradiol (E), and progesterone (P). Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) control the invasion of extravillous trophoblast cells after implantation. Several MMPs and TIMPs function in the decidua and endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). Here, we aimed to systematically investigate the changes in MMPs and TIMPs associated with ESC decidualization. We evaluated the expression of 23 MMPs, four TIMPs, and four anti-sense non-coding RNAs from MMP loci. Primary ESC cultures treated with E + medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a potent P receptor agonist, showed significant down-regulation of , , , , , and in decidualized ESCs, as assessed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Further, and were significantly upregulated in decidualized ESCs. siRNA-mediated silencing of Heart and Neural Crest Derivatives Expressed 2 (HAND2), a master transcriptional regulator in ESC decidualization, significantly increased expression in untreated human ESCs. These results collectively indicate the importance of and in ESC decidualization and highlight the role of HAND2 in repressing transcription, thereby regulating decidualization.