The sialyltransferase ST3Gal3 facilitates the receptivity of the uterine endometrium in vitro and in vivo.
The receptive uterine endometrium specifically expresses certain glycosyltransferases, and the corresponding oligosaccharides play important roles in accepting the embryo. The sialyltransferase β-galactoside-α2,3-sialyltransferase III (ST3Gal3) is the key enzyme responsible for sialyl Lewis X (sLeX) oligosaccharide biosynthesis, but the expression and function of ST3Gal3 in the receptive endometrium is still elusive. Here, we found that human endometrial tissues at secretory phase expressed a 4-fold higher ST3Gal3 level relative to the tissues at proliferative phase. Meanwhile, downregulation of ST3Gal3 or sLeX epitope blockage significantly impaired the receptive ability of human endometrial RL95-2 cells to trophoblastic cells in vitro and inhibited implantation in pregnant mice. This study suggests that ST3Gal3 facilitates endometrial receptivity through increasing sLeX oligosaccharide, which gives a better understanding of the glycobiology of implantation.
['Yu|Ming|M|', 'Wang|Hao|H|', 'Liu|Jianwei|J|', 'Qin|Huamin|H|', 'Liu|Shuai|S|', 'Yan|Qiu|Q|']
D000818:Animals D045744:Cell Line, Tumor D049109:Cell Proliferation D010064:Embryo Implantation D004717:Endometrium D005260:Female D015870:Gene Expression D006801:Humans D051379:Mice D009844:Oligosaccharides D011247:Pregnancy D034622:RNA Interference D000080506:Sialyl Lewis X Antigen D012799:Sialyltransferases D014599:Uterus
ST3Gal3 sLeX endometrial receptivity embryo implantation