Mechanisms of proliferation of uterus in mice

子宫是哺乳动物生殖最重要的器官。子宫的增殖受雌激素和黄体酮的控制。近年来，人们发现雌激素的作用不是直接的，而是间接的。雌激素可产生多种生长因子，直接影响子宫的增殖。在这个研究项目中，我设计寻找新的生长因子来控制子宫组织的增殖。在我们之前的工作中，我发现小鼠垂体前侧等植入子宫腔会导致子宫腺瘤的早期高发，子宫腺瘤是子宫内膜组织、腺体和间质的一种良性病理疾病。因此，我利用这个动物模型在子宫中发现了新的生长因子，显示了组织的明显增殖。然而，在对子宫组织和子宫液进行电泳分析时，我没有发现新的生长因子。我检查了胸腺苷酸合成酶和胸腺苷激酶的活性，即dna合成酶。结果表明，与正常对照子宫相比，子宫腺肌症子宫内这两种酶的活性均显著升高至2倍。这一发现为研究子宫增生机制提供了良好的动物模型。因此，我想继续这个研究项目，使用小鼠子宫子宫腺肌症动物模型。

Uterus is the most important organ for the mammalian reproduction. Proliferation of the uterus is under the control of estrogen and progesterone. Recently it is known that action of estrogenis not direct, but indirect. Estrogen may produce some kinds of growth factors which directly affect the proliferation of uterus.In this research project, I had designed to find novel growth factors which would control the proliferation of the uterine tissues. In our previous works, I have found that in mice anterior pituiary isogragfting into uterine lumen induces an early and high incidence of uterine adenomysis, a benign pathological disorder of the endometrial tissues, glands and stroma within the myometrium. Thus, I had used this animal model to find new growth factors in the uterus showing a marked proliferation of the tissues. However, I could not detect noel growth factors when the uterine tissues and fluid were analyzed by electrophoresis. The, I had examined the activities of both thymidylate synthetase and thymidine kinase, i. e., DNA-synthesizing enzymes. The results showed that both enzyme activities were significantly increased in the uterus with adenomyosis to two-fold those in the normal control uterus. This findings strongly suggest that the animal model developing uterine adenomyosis is useful for the study of the mechanisms of uterine proliferation. Thus, I would like to continue this research project by using the animal model of uterine adenomyosis in mice.