%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Poon, Connie E
%A Madawala, Romanthi J
%A Day, Margot L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Claudin 7 is reduced in uterine epithelial cells during early pregnancy in the rat.
%B Histochemistry and Cell Biology
%D 2013
%C Germany
%I Springer
%V 139
%N 4
%P 583-593
%@ 1432-119X
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 60802


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Day, Margot L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Uterine epithelial cells: Serving two masters.
%B The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology
%D 2013
%C United Kingdom
%I Pergamon
%V 45
%N 2
%P 359-363
%@ 1357-2725
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 60110


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Day, Margot L
%T Extracellular matrix proteins secreted from both the endometrium and the embryo are required for attachment: A study using a co-culture model of rat blastocysts and Ishikawa cells.
%B Journal of Morphology
%D 2012
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 274
%N 1
%P 63-72
%@ 1097-4687
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 60602


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Lecce, Laura
%A Day, Margot L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Focal adhesion kinase localizes to sites of cell-to-cell contact in vivo and increases apically in rat uterine luminal epithelium and the blastocyst at the time of implantation.
%B Journal of Morphology
%D 2012
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 273
%N 6
%P 639-650
%@ 1097-4687
%X Focal adhesions play an important role in promoting embryo invasion; in particular, focal adhesions disassemble at the time of implantation in the rat, facilitating the detachment of the uterine luminal epithelium to allow the embryo to invade the endometrium. This study investigated focal adhesion protein, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the rat uterine luminal, and glandular epithelial cells to understand the dynamics of focal adhesions during early pregnancy. FAK undergoes extensive distributional change during early pregnancy, and surprisingly, FAK was not localized at the site of focal adhesions, instead being localized to the site of cell-to-cell contact and colocalizing with ZO-1 on day 1 of pregnancy. At the time of implantation, FAK increases in the apical region of the uterine luminal epithelial cells which was regulated by progesterone. Using an in vitro co-culture model of rat blastocysts attached to Ishikawa cells, FAK was present apically both in the rat blastocyst and the Ishikawa cells, suggesting a role in attachment andin mediating signal transduction between these two genetically different cell types.
%Z FOR Codes: 111601


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Murphy, Bridget F
%A Brandley, Matthew C
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Morphology and development of the placentae in Eulamprus quoyii group skinks (Squamata: Scincidae).
%B Journal of Anatomy
%D 2012
%C United Kingdom
%I Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
%V 220
%N 5
%P 454-471
%@ 1469-7580
%X Frequent evolutionary changes in reproductive mode have produced a wide range of placental structures in viviparous squamate reptiles. Closely related species with different placental structures and resolved phylogenetic relationships are particularly useful for reconstructing how placentae might have transformed during the evolutionary process. We used light microscopy to study placental morphology in mid- to late stage embryos of four closely related species of Eulamprus, a genus of viviparous scincid lizards that we had reason to suspect may display significant interspecific variation in placental morphology. Embryos from all four species possess a chorioallantoic placenta, an omphaloplacenta and an interomphalopleuric membrane, characteristics present in other viviparous skinks. However, unlike other viviparous skinks but characteristic of oviparous skinks, the allantois expands to surround the yolk sac in each species, supplanting the omphalopleure with a larger area of chorioallantois until a chorioallantoic placenta surrounds the entire egg in one specimen that is only a few days from birth. All four Eulamprus species share the same extraembryonic membrane morphology, but the cellular morphology of the uterine epithelium in the chorioallantoic placenta and omphaloplacenta varies between species. We determined that the interomphalopleuric membrane is a shared derived character of the Eulamprus quoyii species group. New phylogenetic information indicates that variation in the chorioallantoic placenta is a result of two independent transitions, but that variation in the omphaloplacenta can be explained using a single change within the species studied. Our results indicate that E.??quoyii group skinks are a valuable model for investigating the evolution of viviparity, as extraembryonic membrane development in these species shows features characteristic of both oviparous and viviparous skinks.
%Z FOR Codes: 60802


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Ramírez-Pinilla, Martha Patricia
%A Parker, Scott L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Uterine and chorioallantoic angiogenesis and changes in the uterine epithelium during gestation in the viviparous lizard, niveoscincus conventryi (Squamata: Scincidae).
%B Journal of Morphology
%D 2012
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 273
%N 1
%P 8-23
%@ 1097-4687
%X We used immunofluorescent confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to quantify uterine vascularity and to describe uterine surface morphology during gestation in pregnant females of the lecithotrophic lizard Niveoscincus coventryi. As uterine angiogenesis and epithelial cell morphology are thought to be under progesterone control, we studied the effect of a progesterone receptor antagonist (mifepristone) on uterine and chorioallantoic microvasculature and features of the uterine epithelial surfaces. Although intussuceptive angiogenesis was observed in both, uterine and chorioallantoic, vascular beds during gestation, the only significant increases were in the diameters of the uterine vessels. An ellipsoid vessel-dense area grows in the mesometrial hemisphere of the developing conceptus, which parallels the expansion of the allantois to form the chorioallantoic placenta. Uterine surface topography changed during gestation. In particular, uterine blood vessels bulge over the luminal surface to form marked ridges on the uterine embryonic hemisphere, especially during the last stage of pregnancy, and ciliated cells are maintained in the embryonic and abembryonic hemispheres but disappear in both the mesometrial and antimesometrial poles. This distinct regionalization of uterine ridges and ciliated cells in the uterine surface and in the shape of the epithelial component of the chorion might be related to the function of both chorioallantoic and yolk sac placentae during gestation. There was no significant difference between females treated with or without mifepristone, which may be related to the partial function of mifepristone as a progestin antagonist and/or with the function and time of action of progesterone in the uterus during gestation in N. coventryi. Differences in the pattern of angiogenesis and uterine surface morphology during gestation among squamates may be related to the functional diversity of the uterine component of the different placentae and probably reflect its diverse evolutionary history.
%Z FOR Codes: 60807


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Biazik, Joanna M
%A Parker, Scott L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Uterine epithelial morphology and progesterone receptors in a mifepristone-treated viviparous lizard Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii (Squamata: Scincidae) during gestation.
%B Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution
%D 2012
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 318
%N 2
%P 148-158
%@ 1552-5015
%X Structural and functional changes to the uterus associated with maintenance of pregnancy are controlled primarily by steroid hormones such as progesterone. We tested the hypothesis that progesterone regulates uterine structural changes during pregnancy in the viviparous skink, Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii, by treating pregnant females with the progesterone receptor antagonist mifepristone at different stages of pregnancy. Expression and distribution of progesterone receptor was determined using Western blot and immunohistochemistry. During early pregnancy, mifepristone treatment resulted in altered uterine epithelial cell surface morphology and high embryo mortality, but did not affect females at mid and late stages of pregnancy. Females treated with mifepristone in early pregnancy exhibited abnormal uterine epithelial cell morphology such as lateral blebbing and presence of wide gaps between cells indicating loss of intercellular attachment. Chorioallantoic membranes of the embryo were not affected by mifepristone treatment. Two isoforms (55 kDa and 100 kDa) of progesterone receptor were identified using immunoblots and both isoforms were localized to the nucleus of uterine epithelial cells. The 55 kDa isoform was expressed throughout pregnancy, whereas the 100 kDa isoform was expressed during mid and especially late pregnancy. In P. entrecasteauxii, mifepristone may prevent successful embryo attachment in early pregnancy through its effects on uterine epithelial cells but may have little effect on pregnancy once the maternal-embryo structural relationship is established.
%Z FOR Codes: 60802


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Lecce, Laura
%A Day, Margot L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T β(1) and β(3) integrins disassemble from basal focal adhesions and β(3) integrin is later localised to the apical plasma membrane of rat uterine luminal epithelial cells at the time of implantation.
%B Reproduction, fertility, and development
%D 2011
%C Australia
%I CSIRO Publishing
%V 23
%N 3
%P 481-95
%@ 1031-3613
%X The present study investigated the expression of integrin subunits that are known to be associated with focal adhesions, namely ??(1) and ??(3) integrins in rat uterine luminal epithelial cells during early pregnancy. The ??(1) and ??(3) integrins were concentrated along the basal cell surface and were colocalised and structurally interacted with talin, a principal focal adhesion protein, on Day 1 of pregnancy. At the time of implantation, ??(1) and ??(3) integrins disassembled from the site of focal adhesions, facilitating the removal of uterine luminal epithelial cells for embryo invasion. Also at this time, ??(3) integrin markedly increased along the apical membrane, suggesting a role in embryo attachment. This distributional change in ??(1) and ??(3) integrins seen at the time of implantation was predominantly under the influence of progesterone. Taken together, ??(1) and ??(3) integrin disassembly from focal adhesions and the increase in ??(3) integrin apically are key components of hormonally regulated endometrial receptivity.
%Z FOR Codes: 111601


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Wu, Qiong
%A Thompson, Michael B
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Changing distribution of cadherins during gestation in the uterine epithelium of lizards.
%B Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution
%D 2011
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 316
%N 6
%P 440-450
%@ 1552-5015
%X The uterine epithelium provides the interface between an embryo and its mother during pregnancy. Calcium-dependent cadherins are adherens junction proteins that undergo major shifts in the uterine epithelium to facilitate the communication between maternal cells and the embryonic milieu during implantation in mammals. They are, therefore, important in trophoblast invasion and the maintenance of pregnancy. We investigated spatiotemporal changes of cadherins throughout pregnancy in the uterine epithelium of two viviparous skinks and one oviparous population, which all exhibit a noninvasive (epitheliochorial) placenta. Cadherins were identified for the first time in squamate reptiles. In all species, cadherins are reduced in the uterine epithelium as gestation progresses, which would lessen the attachment between uterine epithelial cells and allow them to stretch to accommodate embryonic growth. Interestingly, cadherins were reduced sooner after ovulation in the oviparous species than in the viviparous species. In viviparous species, the different expression of cadherins between barren and pregnant uteri from the same mother indicates that expression of cadherins may not be driven solely by maternal hormones, but also by the presence of an embryo. The redistribution of cadherins in squamates is comparable to that of mammals, reflecting establishment of feto-maternal communication during the peri-implantation period. As there is no breaching of maternal tissue in lizards, the change in adherens junctional properties are thus not exclusive to mammals with invasive placentae, which suggests that similar molecular mechanisms regulate changes to uterine epithelia during pregnancy across placental types. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 314B, 2011. ?? 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
%Z FOR Codes: 60802


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Lecce, Laura
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Madawala, Romanthi J
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T ICAM1 and fibrinogen-?? are increased in uterine epithelial cells at the time of implantation in rats.
%B Molecular reproduction and development
%D 2011
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 78
%N 5
%P 318-27
%@ 1098-2795
%X Uterine epithelial cells transform into a receptive state to adhere to an implanting blastocyst. Part of this transformation includes the apical concentration of cell adhesion molecules at the time of implantation. This study, for the first time, investigates the expression of ICAM1 and fibrinogen-?? (FGG) in uterine epithelial cells during normal pregnancy, pseudopregnancy and in hormone-treated rats. An increase (P???<???0.05) in ICAM1 was seen at the apical membrane of uterine epithelial cells at the time of implantation compared with day 1 of pregnancy. ICAM1 was also increased (P???<???0.05) on day 6 of pseudopregnancy as well as in ovariectomized rats treated with progesterone plus oestrogen. These results show that ICAM1 up-regulation at the time of implantation is under the control of progesterone, and is not dependent on cytokine release from the blastocyst or in semen. FGG dimerization increased (P???<???0.05) on day 6 of pregnancy compared with day 1, and was not up-regulated in day 6 pseudopregnant animals, suggesting this increase is dependent on a developing blastocyst. The presence of ICAM1 and FGG in the uterine epithelium at the time of implantation in the rat is similar to that seen in lymphocyte-endothelium adhesion, and we suggest a similar mechanism in embryo-uterine epithelium adhesion is utilized.
%Z FOR Codes: 111601


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Day, Margot L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Integrin {beta}3 in rat blastocysts and epithelial cells is essential for implantation in vitro: studies with Ishikawa cells and small interfering RNA transfection.
%B Human reproduction (Oxford, England)
%D 2011
%C United Kingdom
%I Oxford University Press
%V 26
%N 7
%P 1665-74
%@ 1460-2350
%X Integrins are involved in the process of embryo-endometrium interaction during implantation. We investigated the localization of integrin ??3 in the rat blastocyst and Ishikawa cells using an in vitro co-culture model of implantation.
%Z FOR Codes: 111601


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Murphy, Bridget F
%A Parker, Scott L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Placentation in the eastern water skink (Eulamprus quoyii): a placentome-like structure in a lecithotrophic lizard.
%B Journal of anatomy
%D 2011
%C United Kingdom
%I Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
%V 218
%N 6
%P 678-89
%@ 1469-7580
%X The eastern water skink (Eulamprus quoyii) has lecithotrophic embryos and was previously described as having a simple Type I chorioallantoic placenta. Indeed, it was the species upon which the definition of a Type I placenta was thought to be based, although we had cause to question that assumption. Hence we have described the morphology of the uterus of E.??quoyii and found it to be more complex than previously supposed. The mesometrial pole of the uterus in E.??quoyii displays a vessel-dense elliptical structure (the VDE) with columnar uterine epithelial cells. As pregnancy proceeds, the uterine epithelium near the mesometrial pole becomes folded and glands become hypertrophied, so that the morphology of VDE resembles that of a placentome, characteristic of Type III placentae. Unlike species with a Type III placenta, the apposing chorioallantoic membrane of E.??quoyii is lined with squamous cells and interdigitates with the folded uterine epithelium. The remainder of the uterus is thin with a squamous uterine epithelium throughout pregnancy. Immunohistochemical localisation of blood vessels reveals a dense network of small capillaries directly beneath the folded epithelium of the VDE, while blood vessels are larger and sparser at the abembryonic pole of the uterus. Alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity is present in the uterine epithelium and sub-epithelial blood vessels in newly ovulated females. AP activity disappears from the epithelium between stages 27 and 29 of embryonic development and from the blood vessels after stage 34, but appears in the uterine glands at stage 35, where it remains until the end of pregnancy. Although the VDE is structurally similar to the placentomes found in other viviparous lizards, different distributions of AP activity in the uterus of E.??quoyii and Pseudemoia spenceri suggest that the VDE may be functionally different from the placentome of the latter species. Our description of uterine morphology in E.??quoyii provides evidence that, at least in some lineages, the evolution of a placentome may not occur in concert with the evolution of microlecithal eggs and obligate placentotrophy.
%Z FOR Codes: 60602


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Murphy, Bridget F
%A Parker, Scott L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Angiogenesis of the uterus and chorioallantois in the eastern water skink Eulamprus quoyii.
%B The Journal of Experimental Biology
%D 2010
%C United Kingdom
%I The Company of Biologists Ltd.
%V 213
%N 19
%P 3340-3347
%@ 1477-9145
%X We have discovered a modification of the uterus that appears to facilitate maternal-fetal communication during pregnancy in the scincid lizard Eulamprus quoyii. A vessel-dense elliptical area (VDE) on the mesometrial side of the uterus expands as the embryo grows, providing a large vascular area for physiological exchange between mother and embryo. The VDE is already developed in females with newly ovulated eggs, and is situated directly adjacent to the chorioallantois of the embryo when it develops. It is likely that signals from the early developing embryo determine the position of the VDE, as the VDE is off-centre in cases where the embryo sits obliquely in the uterus. The VDE is not a modification of the uterus over the entire chorioallantoic placenta, as the VDE is smaller than the chorioallantois after embryonic stage 33, but expansion of the VDE and growth of the chorioallantois during pregnancy are strongly correlated. The expansion of the VDE is also strongly correlated with embryonic growth and increasing embryonic oxygen demand ( ). We propose that angiogenic stimuli are exchanged between the VDE and the chorioallantois in E. quoyii, allowing the simultaneous growth of both tissues.
%Z FOR Codes: 60802


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Lecce, L
%A Kaneko, Y
%A Murphy, C R
%T CD43 is relocated from the basal to the apical plasma membrane of rat uterine epithelial cells by progesterone.
%B Histochemistry and cell biology
%D 2010
%C Germany
%I Springer
%V 133
%N 5
%P 549-555
%@ 1432-119X
%X Adhesion molecules play an important part in preparing uterine epithelial cells for receptivity to the implanting embryo, and their rearrangement is crucial in allowing successful implantation. CD43 is an adhesion molecule which has previously been suggested to take part in implantation in mice. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy localising CD43 was performed on uterine tissue during early pregnancy, and tissue obtained from ovariectomised rats administered with ovarian hormones. Western blotting was performed during early pregnancy on isolated epithelial cells and ovariectomised rats for comparison of the amount of CD43. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed CD43 was situated basally in uterine luminal epithelial cells on day 1 of pregnancy and during oestrogen administration, corresponding to a 95-kDa band of CD43 seen in western blotting. At the time of implantation, and during progesterone or progesterone plus oestrogen combined treatment, CD43 is apical in uterine luminal epithelial cells, resulting in an 85-kDa form of CD43. We suggest that a de-glycosylated form of CD43 moves from basally to apically at the time of implantation, thus facilitating blastocyst attachment to uterine epithelial cells as well as their removal.
%Z FOR Codes: 601


%0 Journal Article
%A Herbert, Jacqueline
%A Murphy, Christopher
%A Thompson, Michael
%T Calcium ATPase Localization in the Uterus of Two Species of Pseudemoia (Lacertilia: Scincidae) with Complex Placentae
%B Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%D 2010
%C United States
%I Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%V 5
%N 2
%P 290-296
%@ 1931-7603
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 60403


%0 Journal Article
%A Murphy, Christopher
%T Comparative placentation, epithelial plasticity and the ‘efficient barrier hypothesis’
%B Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%D 2010
%C United States
%I Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%V 5:2
%N 2
%P 320-323
%@ 1931-7603
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 60803


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Biazik, Joanna M
%A Thompson, Michael B
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Desmosomes in the uterine epithelium of noninvasive skink placentae.
%B Anatomical Record
%D 2010
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc
%V 293
%N 3
%P 502-512
%@ 1932-8494
%X Australian species of viviparous skinks have noninvasive epitheliochorial placentation where there is no breeching or interruption of the uterine epithelial cell barrier. This is contrary to some African and South American species of skinks which exhibit invading chorionic cells and a localized endotheliochorial placenta. The desmosomes, which maintain the adhesive properties of the junctional complex between uterine epithelial cells, were found to decrease as gestation progressed in the uterus of two highly placentotrophic Australian skinks, but no changes in desmosomal numbers were present in the uterus of two Australian oviparous skinks or viviparous skinks with a simple placenta. In mammals, desmosomes decrease in the uterine epithelium of species with invasive hemochorial placentation, where less chemical and mechanical adhesion between cells assists the invading trophoblast at the time of implantation. However, Australian viviparous skinks do not have an invasive trophoblast; yet, similarities in decreasing lateral cellular adhesion exist in the uterus of both invasive and noninvasive placental types. This similarity in cellular mechanisms suggests a conservation of plasma membrane changes across placentation irrespective of reptilian or mammalian origin.
%Z FOR Codes: 608


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Lecce, Laura
%A Lindsay, Laura A
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Ezrin and EBP50 redistribute apically in rat uterine epithelial cells at the time of implantation and in response to cell contact.
%B Cell and tissue research
%D 2010
%C Germany
%I Springer
%V 343
%N 0
%P 445-53
%@ 1432-0878
%X Uterine epithelial cells (UECs) undergo extensive morphological remodelling in preparation for an implanting blastocyst. This remodelling involves changes in the actin cytoskeleton and surface structures including microvilli. Ezrin and ezrin-radixin-moesin-binding protein-50-kDa (EBP50) link actin filaments to intra-membranous adhesion molecules and are important molecules in polarised epithelia. The current study is the first to describe the colocalisation and molecular association of ezrin and EBP50 in rat UECs by using immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoprecipitation techniques. These proteins have also been localised in relation to uterine epithelial cytoskeletal rearrangement during early pregnancy in the rat and to the effect of apical surface contact between opposing epithelial cells, blastocyst contact and contact with a silicon filament. Immunofluorescence microscopy has revealed that ezrin and EBP50 respond to contact between opposing epithelial cells and increase apically on day 6 of pregnancy. This apical distribution is also observed in UECs in contact with a silicon filament. Ezrin and EBP50 are however absent within the implantation chamber itself, seemingly mimicking the events that take place in leucocyte-endothelium binding. Thus, ezrin and EBP50 occur apically in UECs at the time of implantation in the rat and in response to a substitute blastocyst (filament) suggesting a role for these proteins in the cytoskeletal rearrangements that facilitate uterine receptivity and blastocyst-epithelial adhesion. Their loss within the implantation chamber possibly allows the subsequent invasion of the embryo.
%Z FOR Codes: 60110


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Ilad, Romina S
%A Fleming, Steven D
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Fazleabas, Asgerally T
%T Immunohistochemical study of the ubiquitin-nuclear factor-kB pathway in the endometrium of the baboon (Papio anubis) with and without endometriosis.
%B Reproduction, Fertility and Development
%D 2010
%C Australia
%I CSIRO Publishing
%V 22
%N 7
%P 1118-1130
%@ 1031-3613
%X The aim of the present study was to conduct a semiquantitative immunohistochemical investigation into the levels of intermediary proteins within the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB pathway throughout the menstrual cycle in a non-human primate, namely the baboon (Papio anubis), with and without endometriosis. Formalin-fixed eutopic (n = 2-4) and ectopic (n = 6-7) endometrial tissues from baboons at the mid-luteal phase were embedded in paraffin and examined for NF-kappaB pathway components (i.e. IkappaB kinase (IKK) alpha, IKKbeta, phosphorylated (phospho-) IkappaBalpha and phospho-NF-kappaB p65 subunit), ubiquitin, 19S proteasome and the NF-kappaB activator tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Similarly, endometrial tissues from baboons at the late follicular, mid-luteal and menses phase (n = 2-4) were investigated to determine the levels of these proteins throughout the menstrual cycle. Cytoplasmic stromal IKKalpha and glandular 19S proteasome immunostaining was elevated in the ectopic endometrium, whereas levels of ubiquitin, phospho-p65, IKKbeta, TNF-alpha and nuclear 19S proteasome were similar in the eutopic and ectopic endometrium. A significant decrease in phospho-IkappaBalpha nuclear immunostaining was observed within glandular cells of the ectopic endometrium. In the eutopic endometrium, IKKalpha, ubiquitin and 19S proteasome immunostaining was elevated in different phases of the menstrual cycle, whereas levels of phospho-p65, IKKbeta, phospho-IkappaBalpha and TNF-alpha remained unchanged. We have demonstrated that, in the baboon endometriosis model, levels of IKKalpha immunostaining are elevated, whereas those of phospho-IkappaBalpha are reduced, consistent with the hypothesis that excessive NF-kappaB activity plays a role in reducing ectopic endometrial apoptosis, which contributes to the pathophysiology of endometriosis. Further studies are required to confirm a causal association between elevated IKKalpha levels and reduced endometrial apoptosis.
%Z FOR Codes: 60106


%0 Journal Article
%A Biazik, Joanna
%A Thompson, Michael
%A Murphy, Christopher
%T Paracellular and Transcellular Transport Across the Squamate Uterine Epithelium
%B Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%D 2010
%C United States
%I Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%V 5
%N 2
%P 257-262
%@ 1931-7603
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 60403 60802


%0 Journal Article
%A Parker, Scott
%A Murphy, Christopher
%A Thompson, Michael
%T Uterine Angiogenesis in Squamate Reptiles: Implications for the Evolution of Viviparity
%B Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%D 2010
%C United States
%I Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%V 5
%N 2
%P 330-334
%@ 1931-7603
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 60403


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Parker, Scott L
%A Manconi, Frank
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Uterine and placental angiogenesis in the Australian skinks, Ctenotus taeniolatus, and Saiphos equalis.
%B Anatomical Record
%D 2010
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 293
%N 5
%P 829-838
%@ 1932-8494
%X The evolution of viviparity requires modifications to multiple integrated physiological features to support embryonic development during pregnancy. Embryonic growth during pregnancy is dependent upon the capacity of the uterine vascular system to satisfy increasing embryonic oxygen demand throughout gestation. We tested the hypothesis that total surface area of uterine blood vessels increases in concert with embryonic growth, and hence its oxygen demand, during gestation. We used immunofluorescence and laser-scanning confocal microscopy to quantify uterine microvascular density and morphology during gestation in the oviparous skink Ctenotus taeniolatus and in Saiphos equalis, a skink species with prolonged egg retention. For C. taeniolatus, vessel density (Nv) and vessel length-density (Lv) in the embryonic hemisphere of the uterus is 23% and 17% less, respectively, than that of S. equalis and vascular surface-area does not differ as a function of embryo stage. For S. equalis, overall Nv, Lv, and vessel diameter (Dv), does not change during the first half of gestation but increases by 36% (Nv), 44% (Lv), and 60% (Dv) by near-term embryo stages late in gestation. The chorioallantoic membrane of S. equalis increases in absolute size but vascular density does not differ as a function of embryo stage. The marked increase in uterine vascular density during late gestation coincides with the phase of rapid growth in embryo mass and concomitant increase in metabolic rate. Expansion of the uterine vascular bed in concert with embryo size and metabolism is likely to be an important transitional step in the evolution of viviparity.
%Z FOR Codes: 608


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Biazik, Joanna M
%A Thompson, Michael B
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Lysosomal and alkaline phosphatase activity indicate macromolecule transport across the uterine epithelium in two viviparous skinks with complex placenta.
%B Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution
%D 2009
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 312
%N 8
%P 817-26
%@ 1552-5015
%X In addition to water and small inorganic ions, macromolecules traverse the uterine epithelium in viviparous skinks to be absorbed by the developing fetus. In some species of lizards with complex placenta, the paracellular pathway across the uterine epithelium becomes tighter and more highly regulated as gestation progresses, suggesting that the transcellular pathway may be an alternative route for molecules to travel across the epithelium. In this study, we identified an extensive formation of a lysosomal system in the apical region of uterine epithelial cells in the highly secretory omphaloplacental region of the skink placenta in two species from the Pseudemoia genus. We suggest that this lysosomal system assists apocrine secretion by digesting large macromolecules into smaller particles, allowing more effective transport across the plasma membrane of uterine epithelial cells. We also demonstrate alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity along the apical plasma membrane of uterine epithelial cells in the omphaloplacental region of skink uterus, an enzyme usually associated with active transport in secretory cells. Apocrine secretion, an extensive lysosomal system and AP activity, offer strong evidence that macromolecules are transported across uterine epithelium of the omphaloplacenta. Our study is the first to provide histochemical evidence of macromolecular transport across this region of the placenta in two species of skinks from the genus with the most complex placenta described in Australia.
%Z FOR Codes: 606


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Nicholson, Megan D O
%A Lindsay, Laura A
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Ovarian hormones control the changing expression of claudins and occludin in rat uterine epithelial cells during early pregnancy.
%B Acta histochemica
%D 2009
%C Germany, United Stat
%I Urban und Fischer Verlag
%V 112
%N 0
%P 42-52
%@ 1618-0372
%X Regulation of the uterine luminal environment is important for successful attachment and implantation of the blastocyst. The contents and volume of luminal fluid are regulated in part by the tight junctions. Using immunofluorescence microscopy, protein and RNA analysis, the cellular distributions of tight junction components claudins and occludin were observed during early pregnancy and under various hormonal regimens. Results indicate that occludin and claudin-4 distribution changed during early pregnancy and in response to ovarian hormones. At the time of implantation and in response to progesterone administration to ovariectomised rats, occludin and claudin-4 showed increased immunolabelling in luminal epithelium. Interestingly, occludin protein detection in uterine luminal epithelial cells at the time of implantation was statistically significantly decreased at the time of implantation compared to day 1 of pregnancy. This suggests that a cytoplasmic pool of occludin is present at day 1 of pregnancy and is redistributed to the tight junctions at the time of implantation. The presence of occludin and claudin-4 in the tight junctions at the time of implantation and in response to progesterone suggests that the paracellular pathway is impermeable to water and Na(+) at this time, and that the transport of such substances takes place via the transcellular pathway.
%Z FOR Codes: 601


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Lecce, Laura
%A Murphy, Christopher
%T Ovarian hormones regulate expression of the focal adhesion proteins, talin and paxillin, in rat uterine luminal but not glandular epithelial cells.
%B Histochemistry and cell biology
%D 2009
%C Germany
%I Springer
%V 132
%N 6
%P 613-22
%@ 1432-119X
%X During early pregnancy in the rat, focal adhesions disassemble in uterine luminal epithelial cells at the time of implantation to facilitate their removal so that the implanting blastocyst can invade into the underlying endometrial decidual cells. This study investigated the effect of ovarian hormones on the distribution and protein expression of two focal adhesion proteins, talin and paxillin, in rat uterine luminal and glandular epithelial cells under various hormone regimes. Talin and paxillin showed a major distributional change between different hormone regimes. Talin and paxillin were highly concentrated along the basal cell surface of uterine luminal epithelial cells in response to oestrogen treatment. However, this prominent staining of talin and paxillin was absent and also a corresponding reduction of paxillin expression was demonstrated in response to progesterone alone or progesterone in combination with oestrogen, which is also observed at the time of implantation. In contrast, the distribution of talin and paxillin in uterine glandular epithelial cells was localised on the basal cell surface and remained unchanged in all hormone regimes. Thus, not all focal adhesions are hormonally dependent in the rat uterus; however, the dynamics of focal adhesion in uterine luminal epithelial cells is tightly regulated by ovarian hormones. In particular, focal adhesion disassembly in uterine luminal epithelial cells, a key component to establish successful implantation, is predominantly under the influence of progesterone.
%Z FOR Codes: 606


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Biazik, Joanna M
%A Thompson, Michael B
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Claudin-5 is restricted to the tight junction region of uterine epithelial cells in the uterus of pregnant/gravid squamate reptiles.
%B Anatomical Record
%D 2008
%C United States
%I John Wiley and Sons
%V 291
%N 5
%P 547-556
%@ 1932-8486
%X Claudin-5, a tight junctional protein associated with ion and size selectivity, has been found in the uterus of skinks. This study has generated critical information about the molecular assembly of the tight junction at various stages of the reproductive cycle in the skink uterus. Recent studies looking at tight junctional proteins found occludin expression in the tight junction region of uterine epithelial cells in the skink uterus; however, occludin did not disclose any further information about the ions and size of ions permeating across the paracellular pathway. A approximately 22-kDa claudin-5 band was detected in the uterus of the skinks present in this study and immunohistochemistry revealed that claudin-5 redistributes to the tight junction region of the lateral plasma membrane of uterine epithelial cells in late stage pregnancy/gravidity. This finding indicates that the tight junction becomes more assembled to precisely regulate ion and solute permeation in late stage pregnancy/gravidity. Claudin-5 with its functional role as a molecular sieve due to the formation of ion and size selective pores suggests that permeation of ions smaller than 0.8 kDa are restricted when claudin-5 is redistributed to the tight junction region of the later plasma membrane. This report is the first description of the molecular mechanisms that may be involved in regulating nutrient provision in the reptilian uterus.
%Z FOR Codes: 111699


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Kaneko, Yui
%A Lindsay, Laura A
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Focal adhesions disassemble during early pregnancy in rat uterine epithelial cells.
%B Reproduction, Fertility, and Development
%D 2008
%C Australia
%I CSIRO Publishing
%V 20
%N 8
%P 892-899
%@ 1031-3613
%X During early pregnancy in rodents, invasion of the blastocyst into the endometrial decidual cells is accompanied by the removal of uterine epithelial cells around the implantation sites. The present study investigated the distribution and expression of two focal adhesion proteins, namely talin and paxillin, in rat uterine epithelial cells during early pregnancy and their role in the loss of these cells at the time of implantation. A major distributional change of talin and paxillin was demonstrated in uterine epithelial cells during early pregnancy. From a highly concentrated expression along the basal cell surface on Day 1 of pregnancy, talin and paxillin were lost from the basal cell surface at the time of implantation. There was also a corresponding statistically significant decrease in paxillin seen through western blotting analysis. Together, these observations suggest that uterine epithelial cells are less adherent to the underlying basal lamina due to the disassembly of talin and paxillin from focal adhesions, facilitating removal of these cells at the time of implantation. This phenomenon was restricted to the period of receptivity because talin and paxillin reappeared along the basal cell surface soon after implantation.
%Z FOR Codes: 111402


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Venuto, Laura
%A Lindsay, Laura A
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Moesin is involved in the cytoskeletal remodelling of rat decidual cells.
%B Acta histochemica
%D 2008
%C Germany
%I Urban und Fischer Verlag
%V 110
%N 6
%P 491-6
%@ 0065-1281
%X The extensive actin cytoskeletal remodelling of the uterine stroma during early pregnancy involves changes in actin-binding proteins. This study provides the first detailed localisation of the actin-binding protein, moesin, in rat uterine endometrium during this period. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy showed that the amount of moesin in the uterus peaked at the time of implantation, corresponding to the presence of intensely immunolabelling decidual cells. Furthermore, moesin increased in active membrane/cytoskeleton bound protein at the time of implantation, concomitantly decreasing in cytosolic protein. The increase of moesin at decidualisation corresponds with the appearance of alpha smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA) suggesting that decidual cells have contractile abilities that may aid in containing an invasive trophoblast. The results of this study suggest that moesin is important in developing a specialised cytoskeleton and increased adhesiveness of decidual cells, possibly functioning to bridge adhesion molecules to the underlying cytoskeleton.
%Z FOR Codes: 1116


%0 Book Section
%A Lindsay, Laura
%A Murphy, Christopher
%T The cytoskeleton of uterine epithelial and stromal cells
%B The Endometrium. Molecular, Cellular, and Clinical Perspectives
%D 2008
%C United Kingdom
%I Informa Healthcare
%V 
%N 
%P 66-75
%@ 9780415385831
%E Aplin, John D
%E Fazleabas, Asgerally T
%E Glasser, Stanley R
%E Giudice, Linda C
%X 
%Z FOR Codes: 111402 111699


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Lindsay, Laura A
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Aquaporins are upregulated in glandular epithelium at the time of implantation in the rat.
%B Journal of molecular histology
%D 2007
%C Netherlands, UK.
%I Springer Netherlands
%V 38
%N 1
%P 87-95
%@ 1567-2379
%X Regulation of luminal fluid is essential for blastocyst implantation. While it has been known for quite some time that there is a reduction in the amount of luminal fluid at the time of implantation, the mechanisms regulating this process are only just emerging. Previous studies have shown an upregulation of aquaporin (AQP) 5 channels in luminal epithelial cells at the time of implantation providing a mechanism for fluid reabsorption across the surface epithelium. However to date the contribution of fluid reabsorption by glandular epithelial cells has not been established. This study using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction demonstrates the presence of several AQP isoforms in the rat uterus at the time of implantation while immunofluorescence data demonstrates an apical distribution of AQPs5 and 9 in the glandular epithelium at the time of implantation. The presence of AQPs5 and 9 in the apical plasma membrane of the glandular epithelium seen in this study provides a mechanism for transcellular fluid transport across these glandular epithelial cells similar to that seen in luminal epithelial cells. The reabsorption of glandular fluid via AQP channels may also regulate luminal fluid volume and be involved in the reduction in luminal fluid seen at the time of implantation.
%Z FOR Codes: 111601


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Thompson, Michael B
%A Lindsay, Laura A
%A Herbert, Jacquie F
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Calcium ATPase expression in the oviducts of the skink, Lampropholis guichenoti.
%B Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology
%D 2007
%C United States
%I Elsevier Inc.
%V 147
%N 4
%P 1090-1094
%@ 1095-6433
%X Lampropholis guichenoti is an oviparous lizard that lays eggs with a calcareous outer shell. We used immunofluorescence microscopy to describe the occurrence and distribution of Ca2+ ATPase pumps in the uterus of L. guichenoti at different stages of the reproductive and egg-shelling cycles. Ca2+ ATPase pumps were not demonstrated by immunofluorescent techniques in any uterine tissue until egg-shelling had commenced and at least partly calcified eggs were in the uterus. During egg-shelling, Ca2+ ATPase pumps occur on the apical and baso-lateral surfaces of uterine epithelial cells, and those of associated shell glands in the stroma of the uterus. We conclude that Ca2+ ATPase pumps provide a major mechanism for deposition of the calcareous eggshell of L. guichenoti and that the pumps are up-regulated when required in the reproductive cycle. Furthermore, it is likely that specific calcium glands in the stroma of the uterus are involved in the rapid transport required for egg-shelling, but the differential contribution of luminal and glandular epithelial cells is not known.
%Z FOR Codes: 111603


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Parker, Scott L
%A Lindsay, Laura A
%A Herbert, Jacquie F
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Expression and localization of Ca(2+)-ATPase in the uterus during the reproductive cycle of king quail (Coturnix chinensis) and zebra finch (Poephila guttata).
%B Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology
%D 2007
%C USA
%I Elsevier Inc
%V 149
%N 
%P 30-5
%@ 1095-6433
%X Calcium ATPase (Ca2+-ATPase) is a key enzyme that participates in the translocation of calcium in the uterus of oviparous amniotes during eggshell formation. We used Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy to determine expression and localisation of uterine Ca2+-ATPase during the reproductive cycle of king quail and zebra finch. The pattern of Ca2+-ATPase expression and localisation during the reproductive cycle was similar for both species. Immunoblots of uterine extracts from quail and finch indicated that Ca2+-ATPase expression is reduced in non-reproductive compared to reproductive females. Similarly, in non-reproductive females, weak apical immunofluorescent staining of Ca2+-ATPase is localised to epithelial cells in a small number of uterine tubular glands. A large increase in apical immunofluorescent staining of tubular gland epithelia occurs in both vitellogenic and reproductive females. The presence of Ca2+-ATPase on the apical surface of tubular gland epithelial cells suggests that the enzyme is involved in the translocation of calcium out of the tubular gland epithelia and into the concentrated fluid of the uterine lumen. Presence of Ca2+-ATPase in vitellogenic females indicates that the enzyme is expressed prior to the time of ovulation and eggshell calcification.
%Z FOR Codes:


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Adams, Susan M
%A Biazik, Joanna
%A Stewart, Rebecca L
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%A Thompson, Michael B
%T Fundamentals of viviparity: Comparison of seasonal changes in the uterine epithelium of oviparous and viviparous Lerista bougainvillii (Squamata: Scincidae).
%B Journal of morphology
%D 2007
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons Inc.
%V 268
%N 7
%P 624-635
%@ 0362-2525
%X Distinct differences in epithelial response between oviparous and viviparous species of skinks led us to investigate morphological differences in the uterus of a species that exhibits bi-modal reproduction and that may indicate specialities for the different requirements of viviparity and oviparity. The uteri of females from oviparous and viviparous populations of the Australian scincid lizard, Lerista bougainvillii, are described in detail to determine whether the occurrence of uterodomes and the plasma membrane transformation, found in other viviparous species but not oviparous species, are indeed features characteristic of viviparity. Oviductal tissue was dissected at three different stages of reproduction from lizards from both populations: 1) vitellogenic, 2) gravid or pregnant, and 3) non-reproductive or quiescent. Tissue was observed using both scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Lerista bougainvillii has a simple placental morphology with simple squamous epithelium. In contrast to mammals and other viviparous skinks, L. bougainvillii does not undergo a plasma membrane transformation, but early signs of placentation in viviparous individuals are indicated by changes in the uterine surface that occur largely after embryonic stage 30. There are no obvious cellular differences between the uteri of oviparous and viviparous L. bougainvillii at the non-reproductive and vitellogenic phase of the reproductive cycle but throughout gestation/gravidity, the cellular differences that could be related to the changing functional requirements with the retention of the viviparous embryo, became apparent. A plasma membrane transformation with ensuing uterodome formation does not occur, which suggests that these more sophisticated changes are a feature of advanced placental development in reptiles. J. Morphol., 2007. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
%Z FOR Codes: 111601


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Slater, Michael
%A Cooper, M
%A Murphy, C R
%T The cytoskeletal proteins alpha-actinin, Ezrin, and talin are De-expressed in endometriosis and endometrioid carcinoma compared with normal uterine epithelium.
%B Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology : AIMM / official publication of the Society for Applied Immunohistochemistry
%D 2007
%C United States
%I Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
%V 15
%N 2
%P 170-174
%@ 1541-2016
%X In this retrospective study on banked tissue, we found that alpha-actinin and talin were completely de-expressed in both endometriosis and endometrioid carcinoma tissue. Some patchy, depolarized labeling for ezrin was noted in the endometrioid carcinoma but not in endometriosis. The loss of these proteins in both endometriosis and endometrioid carcinoma tissue indicates a significant change in the integrity of these tissues compared with normal and the possibility that individual cells may break away from the parent histology due to loss of cell adhesion. It also indicates a similarity between endometrioid cancer and endometriosis with respect to epithelial cell function and adhesion.
%Z FOR Codes: 111402


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Biazik, Joanna
%A Thompson, Michael
%A Murphy, Christopher
%T The tight junctional protein occludin is found in the uterine epithelium of squamate reptiles.
%B Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology
%D 2007
%C Germany
%I Springer
%V 177
%N 8
%P 935-43
%@ 0174-1578
%X Occludin, an integral protein associated with the mammalian tight junction, has for the first time been identified in the uterus of squamate reptiles. The tight junction is made up of anastamosing strands and forms a selective barrier that regulates paracellular diffusion of solutes across uterine epithelium. Occludin exclusively labels tight junctional strands and is an excellent marker for tight junction permeability. Using western blotting and immunohistochemistry, occludin expression was examined in the uterine epithelium of five species of Australian skinks at different stages of gestation. More occludin was detected during late stage pregnancy/gravidity compared to the lower levels of occludin detected in vitellogenic and post-parturient females in three of the five species. We conclude that the paracellular permeability of the squamate uterine epithelium decreases as gestation progresses. As placental transport of ions and solutes to the embryo is highest during the last third of pregnancy in viviparous squamates, it is likely that a decrease in paracellular permeability is compensated by an upregulation of other transporting mechanisms such as histotrophy.
%Z FOR Codes: 111603


%0 Journal Article
%~ PubMed
%A Adams, Susan M
%A Lui, Sylvia
%A Jones, Susan M
%A Thompson, Michael B
%A Murphy, Christopher R
%T Uterine epithelial changes during placentation in the viviparous skink Eulamprus tympanum.
%B Journal of morphology
%D 2007
%C United States
%I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%V 268
%N 5
%P 385-400
%@ 0362-2525
%X We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to describe the complete ontogeny of simple placentation and the development of both the yolk sac placentae and chorioallantoic placentae from nonreproductive through postparturition phases in the maternal uterine epithelium of the Australian skink, Eulamprus tympanum. We chose E. tympanum, a species with a simple, noninvasive placenta, and which we know, has little net nutrient uptake during gestation to develop hypotheses about placental function and to identify any difference between the oviparous and viviparous conditions. Placental differentiation into the chorioallantoic placenta and yolk sac placenta occurs from embryonic Stage 29; both placentae are simple structures without specialized features for materno/fetal connection. The uterine epithelial cells are not squamous as previously described by Claire Weekes, but are columnar, becoming increasingly attenuated because of the pressure of the impinging underlying capillaries as gestation progresses. When the females are nonreproductive, the luminal uterine surface is flat and the microvillous cells that contain electron-dense vesicles partly obscure the ciliated cells. As vitellogenesis progresses, the microvillous cells are less hypertrophied than in nonreproductive females. After ovulation and fertilization, there is no regional differentiation of the uterine epithelium around the circumference of the egg. The first differentiation, associated with the chorioallantoic placentae and yolk sac placentae, occurs at embryonic Stage 29 and continues through to Stage 39. As gestation proceeds, the uterine chorioallantoic placenta forms ridges, the microvillous cells become less hypertrophied, ciliated cells are less abundant, the underlying blood vessels increase in size, and the gland openings at the uterine surface are more apparent. In contrast, the yolk sac placenta has no particular folding with cells having a random orientation and where the microvillous cells remain hypertrophied throughout gestation. However, the ciliated cells become less abundant as gestation proceeds, as also seen in the chorioallantoic placenta. Secretory vesicles are visible in the uterine lumen. All placental differentiation and cell detail is lost at Stage 40, and the uterine structure has returned to the nonreproductive condition within 2 weeks. Circulating progesterone concentrations begin to rise during late vitellogenesis, peak at embryonic Stages 28-30, and decline after Stage 35 in the later stages of gestation. The coincidence between the time of oviposition and placental differentiation demonstrates a similarity during gestation in the uterus between oviparous and simple placental viviparous squamates.
%Z FOR Codes: 111601