FIG. 1.

PGE₂ induces FGF9 expression in endometriotic stromal cells. (A and B) Serum-starved stromal cells were treated with different doses (0.01 to 100 μM) of PGE₂ for 12 h (n = 6) or with 1 μM PGE₂ for different durations (n = 6). Cells were then subjected to mRNA isolation and FGF-9 transcript quantification by standard-curve QC-RT-PCR. Due to variations between individuals, data were normalized to those for the control group for each batch of cells. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett's test. Asterisks indicate significant differences compared to data for the control group (no PGE₂ in panel A and time zero in panel B). (C) A representative Western blot shows upregulation of FGF-9 by PGE₂. Serum-starved stromal cells were treated with vehicle or 1 μM PGE₂ for 12 h, and equal amounts of total cell lysates were analyzed by Western blot analysis. This experiment was repeated six times using different batches of cells, and the results were similar. (D) Effect of ER antagonist ICI182,780 (10 μM) on expression of FGF9 mRNA induced by PGE₂. Serum-starved cells were pretreated with or without ER antagonist ICI182,780 (10 μM) for 30 min followed by administration of vehicle or 1 μM PGE₂, and expression levels of FGF9 mRNA were determined (n = 5). Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. Asterisks indicate significant differences between data for the control and PGE₂-treated groups at P values of <0.05.