Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009:87:53-85.
doi: 10.1016/S1877-1173(09)87002-6. Epub 2009 Oct 7.

Progesterone receptor action in leiomyoma and endometrial cancer

J Julie Kim  1 , Elizabeth C Sefton, Serdar E Bulun
Affiliations
Review

Progesterone receptor action in leiomyoma and endometrial cancer

J Julie Kim et al. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2009.

Abstract

Progesterone is a key hormone in the regulation of uterine function. In the normal physiological context, progesterone is primarily involved in remodeling of the endometrium and maintaining a quiescent myometrium. When pathologies of the uterus develop, specifically, endometrial cancer and uterine leiomyoma, response to progesterone is usually altered. Progesterone acts through mainly two isoforms of the progesterone receptor (PR), PRA and PRB which have been reported to exhibit different transcriptional activities. Studies examining the expression and function of the PRs in the normal endometrium and myometrium as well as in endometrial cancer and uterine leiomyoma are summarized here. The clinical use of progestins and the transcriptional activity of the PR on genes specific to endometrial cancer and leiomyoma are described. An increased understanding of the differential expression of PRs and response to progesterone in these two diseases is critical in order to develop more efficient and targeted therapies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) The human uterus is comprised of an outer smooth muscle layer termed the myometrium and the innermost layer which lines the uterine cavity termed the endometrium. (B) Cross section of human uterine tissue shows distinct morphology of the myometrium and endometrium. The myometrium consists of smooth muscle cells with supporting stroma and vasculature. The endometrium consist mainly of epithelial glands and stroma.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Functional domains of PRB and PRA. PRA lacks the 164 amino acids in the N-terminus and thus the activation function (AF)3 domain. The DNA binding domain (DBD), ligand binding domain (LBD) AF1 and AF2 regions are present in both PRA and PRB.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Endometrial cancer and uterine leiomyoma. (A) Endometrial adenocarcinoma arises from the endometrial glands exhibiting malignant behavior. (B) Uterine leiomyomas arise from benign overgrowth of smooth muscle cells and can range dramatically in size.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kurita T, Nakamura H. Embryology and anatomy of the uterus. In: Aplin J, Fazleabas S, Glasser S, Giudice L, editors. The Endometrium, Molecular, Cellular, and Clinical Perspectives. 2. Harwood Academic Publishers; 2007.
    1. Norman AW, Litwack G. Hormones. Orlando, FL: Academic Press; 1987.
    1. Clarke CL, Sutherland RL. Progestin regulation of cellular proliferation. Endocr Rev. 1990;11:266–301. - PubMed
    1. Dockery P, Li TC, Rogers AW, Cooke ID, Lenton EA. The ultrastructure of the glandular epithelium in the timed endometrial biopsy. Hum Reprod. 1988;3:826–34. - PubMed
    1. Wynn RM. Ultrastructural development of the human decidua. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1974;118:652–70. - PubMed

Substances