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Decidualization Induces the Expression and Activation of an Extracellular Protease Neuropsin in Mouse Uterus¹

^a Division of Structural Cell Biology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0101, Japan ^b Department of Laboratory Science, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0942, Japan ^c Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan ^d Department of Anatomy, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa, Hokkaido 078-8510, Japan

Uterine decidualization is accompanied by the remodeling of the cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions around the endometrial stromal cells to allow an appropriate invasion of trophoblasts. This remodeling is thought to require the proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins or cell adhesion molecules; however, the molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, decidualization induced the expression and activation of an extracellular serine protease neuropsin in the mouse uterus. Although nonpregnant uteri contained little neuropsin, the protein content and enzymatic activity increased markedly and peaked at the midgestational period in pregnant uteri. Neuropsin expression and activity was also upregulated in artificially induced deciduomata but not in nondecidualized pseudopregnant uteri. Neuropsin is the first extracellular protease to show the evident induction of expression and activity by decidualization and might contribute to the remodeling of extracellular components after decidualization.

¹ This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Encouragement of Young Scientists from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to K.M.-M.

² Correspondence: Kazumasa Matsumoto-Miyai, Division of Structural Cell Biology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0101, Japan. FAX: 81 743 72 5419; kmatsumo{at}bs.aist-nara.ac.jp