Sin HS, Kartashov AV, Hasegawa K, Barski A, Namekawa SH. Poised chromatin and bivalent domains facilitate the mitosis-to-meiosis transition in the male germline. BMC Biol. 2015 Jul 22;13:53.
This study reveals the essential mechanisms underlying the global epigenome in male germ cells. Investigators identified the epigenomic signature of male germ cells, which potentially supports the recovery of totipotency after fertilization.
Sun X, Deng W, Li Y, Tang S, Leishman E, Bradshaw HB, Dey SK. Sustained Endocannabinoid Signaling Compromises Decidual Function and Promotes Inflammation-induced Preterm Birth. J Biol Chem. 2016 Apr 8;291(15):8231-40.
FAAH mutant females with sustained excessive cannabinoid levels are more vulnerable to preterm birth upon lipopolysaccharide. Elevated endocannabinoids targeting on CB1 activate p38 signaling pathway, which further causes premature decidual senescence. The publication not only demonstrated the association of marijuana exposure with parturition, but also revealed an mTOR independent pathway increasing decidual senescence.
Yamada N, Hasegawa Y, Yue M, Hamada T, Nakagawa S, Ogawa Y. Xist exon 7 contributes to the stable localization of Xist RNA on the inactive X-chromosome. PLOS Genet. 2015 Aug 5;11(8):e1005430.
In this study, investigators demonstrated that exon 7 of Xist RNA plays an important role for stable Xist RNA localization and silencing of the X-linked genes on the Xi, possibly acting through an interaction with hnRNP U.
Gao F, Bian F, Ma X, Kalinichenko VV, Das SK. Control of regional decidualization in implantation: Role of FoxM1 downstream of Hoxa10 and cyclin D3. Sci Rep. 2015 Sep 9;5:13863.
Investigators provided evidence supporting the hypothesis that proper development of mesometrial (a presumptive site for placentation) and antimesometrial decidualization in implantation requires FoxM1, a Forkhead box transcription factor, signaling downstream of Hoxa10 and cyclin D3, two well-known markers of decidualization.
Blaisdell A, Crequer A, Columbus D, Daikoku T, Mittal K, Dey SK, Erlebacher A. Neutrophils Oppose Uterine Epithelial Carcinogenesis via Debridement of Hypoxic Tumor Cells. Cancer Cell. 2015 Dec 14;28(6):785-99.
Investigators studied the role of Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in epithelial carcinogenesis using a mouse model of PTEN-deficient uterine cancer. PMNs surprisingly inhibited early-stage tumor growth in the model and slowed malignant progression. These findings provide insight into tumor-associated PMNs and reveal a context-specific capacity for PMNs to directly combat tumorigenesis.