Reciprocal communication between endometrial stromal cells and macrophages

This study tested the hypothesis that reciprocal communication occurs between macrophages and cultured human endometrial stromal cells and that this communication may contribute to the pathology of endometriosis. An endometrial stromal cell line (telomerase-immortalized human endometrial stromal cell [T-HESC]) was treated with macrophage-conditioned medium (CM) +/- estradiol + progesterone. Macrophages were treated without or with T-HESC CM. DNA microarray identified 716 differentially expressed genes in T-HESCs in response to factors secreted by macrophages. Upregulated genes in T-HESC included interleukin 8 (IL-8)/chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8 (CXCL8), matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), phospholamban, cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (CYR61), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), tenascin C, and nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), whereas integrin alpha-6 was downregulated. In contrast, 15 named genes were differentially expressed in macrophages in response to factors secreted by endometrial stromal cells. The data document reciprocal communication between macrophages and endometrial stromal cells and suggest that interaction with macrophages stimulates the expression of genes in endometrial stromal cells that may support the establishment of endometriosis.