Our study defined the proteome of uterine fibroids and identified that increased ECM protein expression, in particular periostin, is a hallmark of uterine fibroids regardless of MED12 mutation status.
Treatment with UPA decreased gene expression and protein production in leiomyoma tissue, suggesting both an impact on water content and ECM protein concentration as a mechanism of ulipristal-mediated decrease in leiomyoma size.
Considering that the small-sized fibroids represent the initial stages of leiomyogenesis, we highlighted some of the most abundant and important upregulated ECM proteins in small fibroids (i.e., POSTN, TNC, COL3A1, COL24A1, and ASPN).
Soluble factors derived from leiomyoma tissue, as well as purified extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, were assessed for their ability to affect uPAR expression, glycosylation and cleavage.
Immortalized leiomyoma and myometrial cells demonstrate increased mRNA and protein production of the ECM proteins, collagen 1A1 (15.0-fold), fibronectin 1 (2.93 fold), and connective tissue growth factor (9.40-fold) with exogenous TGF-beta3 stimulation.