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Review
. 2013 Nov;27(5):497-505.
doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2013.06.010. Epub 2013 Jun 25.

Oestrogen and progesterone action on endometrium: a translational approach to understanding endometrial receptivity

Steven L Young  1
Affiliations
Review

Oestrogen and progesterone action on endometrium: a translational approach to understanding endometrial receptivity

Steven L Young. Reprod Biomed Online. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Embryo attachment and implantation is critical to successful reproduction of all eutherian mammals, including humans; a better understanding of these processes could lead to improved infertility treatments and novel contraceptive methods. Experience with assisted reproduction, especially oocyte donation cycles, has established that despite the diverse set of hormones produced by the ovary in a cycle-dependent fashion, the sequential actions of only two of them, oestrogen and progesterone, are sufficient to prepare a highly receptive endometrium in humans. Further investigation on the endometrial actions of these two hormones is currently providing significant insight into the implantation process in women, strongly suggesting that an abnormal response to progesterone underlies infertility in some patients.

Keywords: embryo implantation; endometrium; oestradiol; progesterone.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration: The author reports no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classical actions of nuclear oestrogen and progesterone receptors. (a) Steroid receptors bind steroid and then bind cognate DNA sequences. (b) Non-steroidal ligands can also act through nuclear steroid receptors. co = co-regulator; HRE = hormone response element; n = nuclear steroid receptor monomer; ns = non-steroid; p = RNA polymerase; s = steroid.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Non-classical actions of nuclear oestrogen and progesterone receptors. (a) Membrane-associated steroid receptors, either isoforms of classical receptors, or (b) unrelated transmembrane receptors recognize steroid hormones and initiate a cytoplasmic signalling cascade. (c) Growth factors signalling can act by causing post-translational modifications of nuclear steroid receptors. (d) Additionally, oestrogen and progesterone can modulate expression by altering mRNA turnover and translation. (e) Alternatively, steroids can bind classical nuclear receptors, which act by binding other proteins rather than DNA. co = co-regulator; G = growth factor; HRE = hormone response element; n = nuclear steroid receptor monomer; ns = non-steroid; p = RNA polymerase; s = steroid; TF = transcription factor.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Protocol for modelled cycles (adapted from Usadi et al. 2008).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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