OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of Calponin-1 and Transgenlin in the uterine smooth muscles during normal labor on-sets, and to evaluate their effect on initiating the normal labor. METHODS: A total of 14 uterine bodies and lower segments of human pregnancy were divided to a non-labor group (NIL) and a labor group(IL). Immunohistochemical technology and Western blot were used to determine the expression of Calponin-1 and Transgelin in the 2 groups. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical detection and Western blot showed that Calponin-1 protein in the uterine smooth muscle tissue of the body and the lower uterine segment of smooth muscle tissues had significant difference (P<0.05). The expression of Transgelin in the uterine body smooth muscle tissue in the IL was higher than that in the NIL(P<0.05). In the lower uterine segments of the smooth muscle, the expression of Transgelin was not significantly different in the 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Calponin-1 of the uterine smooth muscle and Transgelin of the uterine body smooth muscle may involve in the regulation of uterine smooth muscle contractility, which is closely related to child birth launch.
Adult ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Labor Onset ; metabolism ; Microfilament Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Muscle Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Myometrium ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Uterine Contraction ; metabolism

In order to investigate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in human lower segments of myometrium obtained from women in labor and those not in labor and identify the splicing variant of COX-2, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of COX-2. The primers were designed and synthesized according to the sequence of rat COX-2 splice variant which was discovered firstly by us. Then the splicing variant of COX-2 in human myometrium from woman in labor was identified, cloned into vector and sequenced. The results showed that the expression of COX-2 mRNA was lower in human myometrium obtained from women who were not in labor than that in labor women and a new band of COX-2 was obtained in myometrium from labor woman. The fragment included an unspliced intron, which pitched between exons 7 and 8. It was suggested that COX-2 gene was not only expressed highly in human myometrium from woman in labor, but also produced splicing variant by alternative splicing.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Cyclooxygenase 2/*biosynthesis ; Cyclooxygenase 2/genetics ; Labor Onset/*metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Myometrium/*enzymology ; Myometrium/metabolism ; RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; Sequence Analysis