Abstract

Endometriosis is an estrogen-correlated benign disease characterized by a marked ability of endometrial-like cells to invade and proliferate outside uterine cavity, resembling for some invasive aspect the cancer growth. The molecular mechanisms regulating endometrial cell invasiveness are mostly unknown, although interactions between extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and their transmembrane receptors, integrins, are likely to play a central role. In particular, laminin (Ln)-5 could be closely involved, as it is in cancer. We have investigated the expression of Ln-1, Ln-5, and collagen IV (Coll IV) ECM proteins and their receptors, α3β1 and α6β4 integrins, in atrophic, proliferative, and secretive endometrium and in endometriosis. The results show that Ln-5, but not Ln-I and Coll IV, is altered in secretive endometrium as well as in endometriosis tissues. No alterations are observed in atrophic or proliferative endometrium. Consistently, the polarization of both integrin subunits α3 and β1, but not α6 and β4, is altered in secretive endometrium and endometriosis tissues, but not in atrophic and proliferative endometrium. These results seem to suggest that Ln-5 and α3β1 could be involved in the invasive mechanism of endometriosis. The altered expression of Ln-5, by upregulating matrix metalloproteases activity, suggest an invading process similar to that of many cancer processes