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Frontiers of Medicine >> 2007, Volume 1, Issue 4 doi: 10.1007/s11684-007-0076-5

Effects of galectin-3 inhibition on endometrial cell cycle and adhesion

1.Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China; 2.Institution of Liver Cancer, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China

Available online: 2007-12-05

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Abstract

Galectin-3 (gal-3) and its ligands have been implicated in cell transformation and cancer metastasis. Gal-3 protein has been found in uterine epithelial cells adjacent to implanting blastocysts in different cell types. In order to investigate the role of gal-3 in the establishment of human endometrial receptivity, the expression of gal-3 in human endometrial cell line RL95-2 was silenced by RNA interference technology using gal-3 specific small RNA. The expression of gal-3 was detected by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. After the suppression of gal-3, cell cycle changes and the expression of integrin 1 were detected by flow cytometry. The adhesive ability of RL95-2 cells was analyzed by the adhesion test. Gal-3 siRNA transfection efficiency reached 70%–90%. The expression of gal-3 mRNA and protein in RL95-2 cells was strongly inhibited by 70%–90% after RNA interference. Inhibition of gal-3 expression decreased S-phase but increased G1 phase cells. Integrin 1 expression was down-regulated, and the adhesive ability of RL95-2 cells to fibronectin (FN) was significantly reduced. Gal-3 may be involved in the establishment of endometrial receptivity by regulating the proliferation and adhesion of endometrial cells. The influence on adhesion may be related with the integrin modulation.

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