Endoplasmic reticulum stress contributes to the pathogenesis of stress urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women

• Published in: Journal of international medical research Vol. 46; no. 12; pp. 5269 - 5277
• Main Authors: Zhou, Yong, Liu, Xiaoxia, Li, Wenjuan, Sun, Xiaoyan, Xie, Zhenwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2018; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Activating Transcription Factor 4 - genetics; Activating Transcription Factor 4 - metabolism; Apoptosis; Case-Control Studies; eIF-2 Kinase - genetics; eIF-2 Kinase - metabolism; Endoplasmic reticulum; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics; Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism; Humans; Kinases; Middle Aged; Pathogenesis; Postmenopause; Pre-Clinical Research Reports; Proteins; Signal Transduction; Transcription Factor CHOP - genetics; Transcription Factor CHOP - metabolism; Transcription factors; Urinary incontinence; Urinary Incontinence - etiology; Urinary Incontinence - metabolism; Urinary Incontinence - pathology; C/EBP-homologous protein; protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase; glucose-regulated protein; apoptosis; Stress urinary incontinence; anterior vaginal wall; endoplasmic reticulum stress; B-cell lymphoma 2; postmenopausal; activating transcription factor 4
• ISSN: 0300-0605; 1473-2300; 1473-2300
• DOI: 10.1177/0300060518807602

Objective To investigate the relationship between endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and the pathogenesis of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in postmenopausal women. Methods Anterior vaginal wall tissue was collected from postmenopausal women with SUI and control subjects. Western blotting was performed for glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), inositol-requiring enzyme 1(IRE1), protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2). Additionally, mRNA expression levels of PERK, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), and CHOP were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results GRP78 protein and mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in women with SUI, compared with control subjects. PERK and p-PERK expression levels were higher in women with SUI than in control subjects. However, no differences in IRE1 or ATF6 expression levels were observed in either group. Notably, higher CHOP and lower Bcl-2 protein expression levels were detected in women with SUI, compared with control subjects. Furthermore, PERK, ATF4, and CHOP mRNA expression levels were significantly higher in women with SUI than in control subjects. Conclusions Alterations of ERS markers in SUI suggest that ERS may be involved in the development of SUI in postmenopausal women.