This Article Accepted Manuscript (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 136/3/367    most recent REP-08-0004v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Takao, Y. Articles by Ueda, M. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Takao, Y. Articles by Ueda, M.

Monoamine oxidase-A is highly expressed by the human corpus luteum of pregnancy

Y Takao, OB/GYN, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
H Fujiwara, OB/GYN, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
S Yoshioka, OB/GYN, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
S Fujii, OB/GYN, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
M Ueda, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Correspondence: Hiroshi Fujiwara, Email: fuji{at}kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Abstract

To investigate the physiological characteristics of the corpus luteum (CL) of pregnancy, we raised a monoclonal antibody (mAb), HCL-4, against human luteal cells obtained from CL of pregnancy. The affinity-purified antigen from human CL of pregnancy or placenta using HCL-4 was a 61kD protein. The partial amino acid sequence of the antigenic protein was identical to that of human monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A, EC1.4.3.4).

MAO-A has been shown to catabolize catecholamines that were reported to regulate luteal function in CL and vasoconstriction in various organs. Immunohistochemistry using HCL-4 mAb showed that MAO-A was intensely expressed on large luteal cells and moderately expressed on small luteal cells in the CL of pregnancy. In the CL of menstrual cycle, MAO-A was weakly detected on large luteal cells but not detected at all on small luteal cells. Western blotting analysis confirmed the high expression of MAO-A in CL of pregnancy. Northern blot analysis also showed the expression of MAO-A mRNA in human CL, and showed that its expression was higher in CL of pregnancy than in CL of menstrual cycle.

The increased expression of MAO-A on CL of pregnancy suggests the contribution of MAO-A to the function of CL of pregnancy.