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Glycodelin Protein and mRNA Is Downregulated in Human First Trimester Abortion and Partially Upregulated in Mole Pregnancy

Bettina Toth, Karin Roth, Christiane Kunert-Keil, Christoph Scholz, Sandra Schulze, Ioannis Mylonas, Klaus Friese and Udo Jeschke

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology–Großhadern (BT,KR,KF) and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology–Innenstadt (KR,CS,SS,IM,KF,UJ), Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Pathophysiology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Karlsburg, Germany (CK-K)

Correspondence to: Udo Jeschke, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology–Innenstadt, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Maistrasse 11, D-80337 Munich, Germany. E-mail: udo.jeschke{at}med.uni-muenchen.de

Glycodelin (Gd) is a major reproductive glycoprotein and a mediator for immunomodulatory effects directed to cellular, humoral, and innate immunity. Human pregnancy depends on a diversity of physiological processes including modulation of the maternal immunosystem. We evaluated the expression of Gd protein and mRNA in first trimester decidual tissue of normal pregnancies and spontaneous abortion and hydatidiform moles. Furthermore, in vitro experiments on endometrial cancer cells to analyze the effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on Gd regulation were performed. In decidual tissue of abortion patients, Gd expression was significantly decreased compared with normal gestation, which was confirmed by in situ hybridization. In mole pregnancy, an upregulation of Gd in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy was present. Gd is a main product of decidual tissue in the first trimester of human pregnancy. Reduced Gd expression in abortive pregnancy could lead to an increased activation of the maternal immunosystem, thus causing rejection of the developing fetus. Moreover, Gd expression in endometrial cancer cells in vitro could be stimulated by addition of hCG. Therefore, we speculate that hCG could be one of the factors regulating Gd expression because hCG is downregulated in women with abortion and upregulated in mole pregnancy. In addition, we found a positive feedback loop in Gd and hCG expression in human pregnancy. (J Histochem Cytochem 56:477–485, 2008)

Key Words: glycodelin • decidua • abortion • hydatidiform mole • in situ hybridization • immunocytochemistry • immunohistochemistry

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