Uterine glands and, by inference, their secretions impact uterine receptivity, blastocyst implantation, stromal cell decidualization, and placental development. Changes in gland function across the menstrual cycle are primarily governed by the steroid hormones estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) but can also be influenced by extrinsic factors from the stroma. Using a human endometrial epithelial organoid system, transcriptome and proteome analyses identified distinct responses of the organoids to steroid hormones and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSuboptimal uterine fluid (UF) composition can lead to pregnancy loss and likely contributes to offspring susceptibility to chronic adult-onset disorders. However, our understanding of the biochemical composition and mechanisms underpinning UF formation and regulation remain elusive, particularly in humans. To address this challenge, we developed a high-throughput method for intraorganoid fluid (IOF) isolation from human endometrial epithelial organoids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThermotoga maritima cells are distinguished by a sheath-like structure called the toga that loosely encloses single or multiple cells. During growth, and particularly at late phases of population growth, the toga distends from the poles of many cells. Little is known about this phenomenon so this study presents basic information about this process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: New tools are required for the diagnosis of pre-symptomatic leprosy towards further reduction of disease burden and its associated reactions. To address this need, two new skin test antigens were developed to assess safety and efficacy in human trials.
Methods: A Phase I safety trial was first conducted in a non-endemic region for leprosy (U.
The unifying structural characteristic of members of the bacterial order Thermotogales is their toga, an unusual cell envelope that includes a loose-fitting sheath around each cell. Only two toga-associated structural proteins have been purified and characterized in Thermotoga maritima: the anchor protein OmpA1 (or Ompα) and the porin OmpB (or Ompβ). The gene encoding OmpA1 (ompA1) was cloned and sequenced and later assigned to TM0477 in the genome sequence, but because no peptide sequence was available for OmpB, its gene (ompB) was not annotated.
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