Cytokine-Like Protein 1(Cytl1): A Potential Molecular Mediator in Embryo Implantation

PLoS One. 2016 Jan 22;11(1):e0147424. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147424. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Cytokine-like protein 1 (Cytl1), originally described as a protein expressed in CD34+ cells, was recently identified as a functional secreted protein involved in chondrogenesis and cartilage development. However, our knowledge of Cytl1 is still limited. Here, we determined the Cytl1 expression pattern regulated by ovarian hormones at both the mRNA and protein levels. We found that the endometrial expression of Cytl1 in mice was low before or on the first day of gestation, significantly increased during embryo implantation, and then decreased at the end of implantation. We investigated the effects of Cytl1 on endometrial cell proliferation, and the effects on the secretion of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF). We also explored the effect of Cytl1 on endometrial adhesion properties in cell-cell adhesion assays. Our findings demonstrated that Cytl1 is an ovarian hormone-dependent protein expressed in the endometrium that enhances the proliferation of HEC-1-A and RL95-2 cells, stimulates endometrial secretion of LIF and HB-EGF, and enhances the adhesion of HEC-1-A and RL95-2 cells to JAR spheroids. This study suggests that Cytl1 plays an active role in the regulation of embryo implantation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood Proteins / analysis
  • Blood Proteins / physiology*
  • Cell Adhesion / physiology
  • Cell Count
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / physiology
  • Cytokines / analysis
  • Cytokines / physiology*
  • Embryo Implantation / physiology*
  • Endometrium / chemistry
  • Endometrium / metabolism
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • Blood Proteins
  • CYTL1 protein, human
  • Cytokines
  • Recombinant Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC30772023). LF is the author who received the funding.