Krüppel-like Factor 9 and Progesterone Receptor Co-Regulation of Decidualizing Endometrial Stromal Cells: Implications for its Loss in the Pathogenesis of Endometriosis. Homo sapiens

Endometriosis is characterized by progesterone resistance and is associated with infertility. Krüppel-like Factor 9 (KLF9) is a progesterone receptor (PGR)-interacting protein, and mice null for Klf9 are subfertile. Whether loss of KLF9 contributes to progesterone resistance of eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate KLF9 and PGR co-regulation of human endometrial stromal cell (HESC) transcriptome network. Overall design: Microarray gene expression analysis was conducted in decidualizing HESC by silencing the expression of KLF9 and PGR, alone or in combination by a siRNA approach, to identify additional KLF9 and PGR co-regulated genes and signaling networks/pathways. HESC also treated with 8-bromo-cAMP, 17ß-estradiol, and medroxyprogesterone acetate (cAME) to mimic stromal progression from a proliferative to a differentiated state.