Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal: Diagnostics

Volume number: 12

Issue number: 11

eISSN: 2075-4418

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12112848

Publisher: MDPI

Abstract: 
Claudins, as the major components of tight junctions, are crucial for epithelial cell-to-cell contacts. Recently, we showed that in endometriosis, the endometrial epithelial phenotype is highly conserved, with only minor alterations. For example, claudin-11 is strongly expressed; however, its localization in the endometriotic epithelial cells was impaired. In order to better understand the role of claudins in endometrial cell-to-cell contacts, we analyzed the tissue expression and localization of claudin-10 by immunohistochemistry analysis and two scoring systems. We used human tissue samples (n = 151) from the endometrium, endometriosis, and adenomyosis. We found a high abundance of claudin-10 in nearly all the endometrial (98%), endometriotic (98-99%), and adenomyotic (90-97%) glands, but no cycle-specific differences and no differences in the claudin-10 positive endometrial glands between cases with and without endometriosis. A significantly higher expression of claudin-10 was evident in the ectopic endometrium of deep-infiltrating (p < 0.01) and ovarian endometriosis (p < 0.001) and in adenomyosis in the cases with endometriosis (p <= 0.05). Interestingly, we observed a shift in claudin-10 from a predominant apical localization in the eutopic endometrium to a more pronounced basal/cytoplasmic localization in the ectopic endometria of all three endometriotic entities but not in adenomyosis. Significantly, despite the impaired endometriotic localization of claudin-10, the epithelial phenotype was retained. The significant differences in claudin-10 localization between the three endometriotic entities and adenomyosis, in conjunction with endometriosis, suggest that most of the aberrations occur after implantation and not before. The high similarity between the claudin-10 patterns in the eutopic endometrial and adenomyotic glands supports our recent conclusions that the endometrium is the main source of endometriosis and adenomyosis.

Harvard Citation style: Loeffelmann, A., Hoerscher, A., Riaz, M., Zeppernick, F., Meinhold-Heerlein, I. and Konrad, L. (2022) Claudin-10 Expression Is Increased in Endometriosis and Adenomyosis and Mislocalized in Ectopic Endometriosis, Diagnostics, 12(11), Article 2848. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12112848

APA Citation style: Loeffelmann, A., Hoerscher, A., Riaz, M., Zeppernick, F., Meinhold-Heerlein, I., & Konrad, L. (2022). Claudin-10 Expression Is Increased in Endometriosis and Adenomyosis and Mislocalized in Ectopic Endometriosis. Diagnostics. 12(11), Article 2848. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12112848