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Human type 2 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in umbilical vein and artery endothelial cells: differential inactivation of sex steroids according to the vessel type

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Abstract

The human placenta produces high amounts of estradiol. 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (17βHSD2) is expressed by placental endothelial cells and was proposed to regulate sex hormone levels. Previous results obtained in term placenta suggested that 17βHSD2 expression and activity differ among umbilical cord vessels. In this study, 17βHSD2 expression level and enzymatic activity, and estrogen receptor α and β expression levels, were measured in endothelial cell cultures from umbilical arteries (HUAEC) and vein (HUVEC) using real-time quantitative PCR, western blot, and radiolabeled steroids. 17βHSD2-specific activities were also measured in proximal and distal segments of freshly isolated umbilical cord arteries and vein. 17βHSD2 mRNA level and activity were higher in HUAEC than in HUVEC. Activity was higher in umbilical arteries than in the umbilical vein. In arteries, enzymatic activity was higher near the placenta, suggesting a gradient of expression. No difference was found in ERα expression, whereas ERβ was expressed at a higher level in HUAEC than in HUVEC. Expression profiles of estrogen receptors and 17βHSD2 suggest a vessel type-specific response to estrogens. Our data support a differential modulation of biologically active sex steroid levels according to the vessel type in the foeto-placental unit, with apparent higher inactivation in the arterial system.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the nurses from the Centre Mère-Enfant at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec for their precious collaboration. We also thank Dr. Martin Bonenfant, PhD, for technical support, Julie Plante, MSc, for technical support and for critical reading of the manuscript, and Dr. Richard Poulin, PhD, for editing of the manuscript. This study was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC 171140-05) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP 84221) to YT. This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of Dr Charles H Blomquist, deceased in September 2009.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Reproduction, Perinatal Health, and Child Health Axis, CHUQ Research Center, 2705 Laurier Blvd., Rm T-1-49, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada

    Marc Simard, Renée Drolet & Yves Tremblay

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Canada

    Yves Tremblay

  3. Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la Reproduction, Laval University, Québec, Canada

    Marc Simard, Renée Drolet & Yves Tremblay

  4. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Charles H. Blomquist

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  1. Marc Simard
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  2. Renée Drolet
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  3. Charles H. Blomquist
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  4. Yves Tremblay
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Correspondence to Yves Tremblay.

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Simard, M., Drolet, R., Blomquist, C.H. et al. Human type 2 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in umbilical vein and artery endothelial cells: differential inactivation of sex steroids according to the vessel type. Endocrine 40, 203–211 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-011-9519-5

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