%0 Journal Article
%T Identification of 9 uterine genes that are regulated during mouse pregnancy and exhibit abnormal levels in the cyclooxygenase-1 knockout mouse
%A Baohui Zhao
%A Deanna Koon
%A Allyson L Curtis
%A Jessica Soper
%A Kathleen E Bethin
%J Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology
%D 2007
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1477-7827-5-28
%X Gestational d18.0 uteri (n = 4) were collected from pregnant wild-type and cyclooxygenase-1 knockout mice. Part of the uterus was used for frozen sections and RNA was isolated from the remainder. Microarray analysis was performed at the Indiana University School of Medicine Genomic Core and analyzed using the Microarray Data Portal. Northern analysis was performed to confirm microarray data and the genes localized in the gravid uterus by in situ hybridization.We identified 277 genes that are abnormally expressed in the gravid d18.0 cyclooxygenase-1 knockout mouse. Nine of these genes are also regulated in the normal murine uterus during the last half of gestation. Many of these genes are involved in the immune response, consistent with an important role of the immune system in parturition. Expression of 4 of these genes; arginase I, IgJ, Tnfrsf9 and troponin; was confirmed by Northern analysis to be mis-regulated during pregnancy in the knockout mouse. In situ hybridization of these genes demonstrated a similar location in the gravid wild-type and Cox-1 knockout mouse uteri.To our knowledge, this is the first work to demonstrate the uterine location of these 4 genes in the mouse during late pregnancy. There are several putative transcription factor binding sites that are shared by many of the 9 genes identified here including; estrogen and progesterone response elements and Ets binding sites. In summary, this work identifies 9 uterine murine genes that may play a role in parturition. The function of these genes is consistent with an important role of the immune system in parturition.In 2004 12.5% of all births in the USA were preterm [1]. Preterm birth is the leading cause of all infant mortality and a major cause of morbidity [2-4]. The reason that idiopathic preterm labor remains an enigma is that the mechanisms that initiate normal labor are largely unknown. Parturition has been studied in many species, but there is no perfect animal model of human labor [5]. Mou
%U http://www.rbej.com/content/5/1/28