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Topographies and isoforms of the progesterone receptor in female human, rat and mouse bladder

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Abstract

Steroid hormones such as progesterone are known to influence bladder function. Progesterone effects are mediated by the progesterone receptor (PR) but no detailed studies of PR in bladder exist. We have investigated the presence, topography and subtypes of PR in mouse, rat and human bladder. Fresh tissue samples were obtained from cystectomies in female humans, rats and mice (n = 7 per group). Tissue samples were processed for immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) and western blot (WB) and, for each species, a panel of specific PR antibody clones was used. Interpretation of IHC/IF was carried out by light/fluorescent microscopy and of WB via standard WB software. IHC/IF in female human bladder showed PR on the interstitial cells in the lamina propria and between detrusor smooth muscle cells, whereas in female rat and mouse bladder, PR was only found on the urothelium. WB in human bladder showed a 78-kD and a 60-kDa band, respectively, corresponding to a modified PR isoform A and PR isoform C. WB in rat and mice bladder showed a 60 kDa band and a 37 kDa band, respectively corresponding with PR isoform C and an unknown isoform. This is the first detailed investigation of the precise location and presence of several isoforms of PR in bladder, together with a comparison of these data between human, rat and mouse. Our study has revealed complex PR families in bladders from the various species studied and demonstrates obvious inter-species differences in PR topography and isoforms.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Paula Aertsen, Gijs Budé, Nathalie Volders, Kathleen Van Den Eynde and Emily Bittoun for excellent technical support. Prof. Pieter Vandenberghe is acknowledged for the use of the confocal microscopy facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Experimental Urology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Thomas Gevaert, Roma Rietjens, Wouter Everaerts & Dirk De Ridder

  2. Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Thomas Gevaert

  3. Department of Pathology, AZ Klina, Brasschaat, Belgium

    Thomas Gevaert

  4. Laboratory of Ion Channel Research and TRP Research Platform Leuven (TRPLe), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Roma Rietjens, Thomas Voets & Wouter Everaerts

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  1. Thomas Gevaert
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  2. Roma Rietjens
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  4. Wouter Everaerts
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  5. Dirk De Ridder
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Gevaert.

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The authors confirm no conflicts of interest.

Author input

T.G., T.V. and D.D.R. designed the research study; T.G. and R.R. performed the research; T.G., R.R. and W.E. analyzed the data; T.G., W.E. and D.D.R. wrote the manuscript.

Additional information

This study was supported by Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) Grant G.0500.6N and Research Council of the KU Leuven Grants PF-TRPLe and EF/95/010, Belgian Federal Government Grant IUAP P7/13 and an unrestricted educational grant from Astellas. Dirk De Ridder is a senior clinical researcher of the FWO Vlaanderen.

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Suppl. Table 1

Properties of the antibodies used. (DOCX 19 kb)

Suppl Figure 1

Image of a loading control experiment with beta-actin on three human samples (H1 full fraction, H1’ cytoplasmic fraction). (GIF 7 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 95 kb)

Suppl Figure 2

Top Confocal double-immunofluorescence images showing non-specific immunofluorescent activity on red blood cells (white arrows). Bottom Confocal double-immunofluorescence images showing diffuse nuclear PR expression on BrCa with interlaying Vim+ stromal cells (BL bladder, BrCa breast cancer, V blood vessel). Bars 50 μm (top), 100 μm (bottom). (GIF 106 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 1523 kb)

Suppl Figure 3

Images of control IHC. a PR- BrCa (human, clone PGR636). b, c Monoclonal anti-smooth muscle actin antibody was used at 1/50 dilution and revealed immunoreactivity on ULP IC, perivascular smooth muscle and detrusor smooth muscle (U urothelium, LP lamina propria, D detrusor). No immunoreactivity was seen on the urothelium (white arrows). Bars 50 μm (GIF 111 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 1690 kb)

Suppl Figure 4

IHC and WB for PR with A0098 clone in female human bladder. a Weak nuclear PR expression (white arrows) on ULP IC (U urothelium, LP lamina propria). b PR expression on BrCa (positive control). Bars 50 μm. c WB analysis of PR isoforms in female human bladder tissue. BrCa positive (+) and negative (−) for PR receptor was used as a positive and negative control, respectively. Positions of isoforms are indicated (PRB, PRA, PRC). Exposure time was 1200 s (BL bladder, + positive control, – negative control). (GIF 99kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 1488 kb)

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Gevaert, T., Rietjens, R., Voets, T. et al. Topographies and isoforms of the progesterone receptor in female human, rat and mouse bladder. Cell Tissue Res 364, 385–394 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-015-2329-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-015-2329-y

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