Expression of endothelin receptors in human myometrium during pregnancy and in uterine leiomyomas

• Published in: Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology Vol. 36; no. 5 Suppl 1; p. S386
• Main Authors: Honoré, J C, Robert, B, Vacher-Lavenu, M C, Chapron, C, Breuiller-Fouché, M, Ferré, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2000
• Subjects: Azepines - pharmacology; Endothelin-1 - metabolism; Female; Humans; Indoles - pharmacology; Leiomyoma - metabolism; Myometrium - metabolism; Oligopeptides - pharmacology; Piperidines - pharmacology; Pregnancy - metabolism; Receptor, Endothelin A; Receptor, Endothelin B; Receptors, Endothelin - genetics; RNA, Messenger - analysis; Uterine Neoplasms - metabolism
• ISSN: 0160-2446
• DOI: 10.1097/00005344-200036001-00112

The distribution of mRNAs for endothelinA and B (ET(A) and ET(B)) receptors and their binding properties was studied in human nonpregnant and pregnant term myometrium and in uterine leiomyomas. ET(A)- and ET(B)-receptors functionally coupled to phospholipase C (PLC) coexisted in myometrial tissues, but only the functional ET(A)-receptor subtype was detected in leiomyomas. ET(A)-receptor mRNA and three other spliced variants were distributed in all tissue studied. We reported an increase in the proportion of ET(A)-receptors coupled to PLC in term pregnant myometrium when compared to nonpregnant tissue. These results suggest that upregulation of the myometrial ET(A)-receptors may account for or contribute to the control of normal development and growth of human myometrium during pregnancy. They also support a pathological role for the endothelin-1 (ET-1)/ET(A)-receptor system in leiomyoma development.