RELAXIN AND RELATED PEPTIDES: FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Relaxin Receptor LGR7 (RXFP1) Is Regulated

by Estrogen
Priya Maseelall, Jeff Gardner, Andrea Wojtczuk, Gerson Weiss,
and Laura T. Goldsmith
New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, 07103 USA
Estrogen regulates LGR7 (RXFP1) mRNA expression in an in vitro model of human term
pregnancy cervix that utilizes lower uterine segment fibroblasts. LGR7 mRNA levels
were increased by estradiol to mean levels of 152% 5.9% above those in untreated
control cells. Therefore, estradiol may amplify relaxins actions in the cervix.
Key words: LGR7; RXFP1; estradiol

Introduction
The actions of relaxin in certain target tissues
appear to require exposure to estrogen, and in
certain cell types relaxin action is potentiated
by estrogen priming. The precise role of estrogen and the mechanisms utilized by estrogen in
the cellular response to relaxin have not been
well defined in any relaxin target tissue. One
possible mechanism by which estrogen may enhance the response to relaxin is by upregulating
expression of the relaxin receptor.
We have previously used an in vitro model of
human term pregnancy cervix, human lower
uterine segment fibroblasts, as a system for
studying of the effects of relaxin upon human
cervical function.1,2 We therefore used this system to test the hypothesis that estrogen amplification of the relaxin response in target tissues is
due to regulation of receptor expression. We determined whether LGR7 mRNA is expressed
and if it is regulated by estrogen in our in vitro
model of human lower uterine segment fibroblasts.
Human lower uterine segment fibroblasts
at passages 1012 were plated in T75 tissue

Address for correspondence: Laura T. Goldsmith, Ph.D., Department

of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Womens Health, 185 South Orange Ave.,
MSB E506, Newark, NJ 07103. goldsmit@umdnj.edu

culture flasks in Dulbeccos modified Eagles

medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine
serum (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) and
antibiotics and maintained until reaching about
80% confluency. Medium was removed and
replicate flasks were incubated in complete
medium with or without 1 M 17-estradiol
for 72 h. Total cellular RNA was isolated from
the cells, and 1 g of total RNA from either
estrogen-treated or control (untreated) cells was
reverse transcribed into cDNA. RNAs isolated
from rhesus monkey myometrium and skeletal muscle were used as positive and negative
LGR7 mRNA expression controls, respectively.
To ensure reproducibility, the experiments were
repeated three times. Primers previously verified to have the specific nucleotide sequence of
the human LGR7 mRNA were used.3 PCRs
were performed in triplicate using 8 g of
cDNA and Platinum SYBR Green qPCR SuperMix reagents (Invitrogen) and the RotorGene 3000 real-time PCR system (Corbett
Research). LGR7 standard consisted of amplified PCR product of a known concentration,
2.65 fmol/L (330 pg/L), created from RNA
isolated from human endometrial glandular epithelial cells. Standard curves were generated
from serial dilutions of the LGR7 standard.
The cycle threshold value for each sample was
determined by the cycle number in which the
samples PCR amplification curve crossed the

Relaxin and Related Peptides: Fifth International Conference: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1160: 9192 (2009).
C 2009 New York Academy of Sciences.
doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04048.x 

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threshold. LGR7 mRNA in each sample was

quantified by extrapolation of the cycle threshold values from the standard curve. To assess
the purity, size, and identity of the products of
each PCR, melt curve analyses, electrophoretic
analysis, and nucleotide sequencing of PCR
products were performed.
Human lower uterine segment fibroblasts express LGR7 mRNA. The expected amplicon of
192 bp was detected, and a single peak was seen
on melt analysis in all PCR products generated
from RNA of control and estrogen-treated cells
and the positive control tissue. As expected, no
LGR7 PCR products were detected in reactions programmed by RNA from skeletal muscle (negative control) and reactions which did
not include reverse transcriptase. Estrogen appears to regulate LGR7 mRNA expression.
LGR7 mRNA was increased by estradiol to
mean levels of 152% 5.9% (mean standard error from three experiments, each performed using multiple reverse transcriptionPCRs) above those of control, untreated cells
(P = 0.04).
Recent findings have similarly demonstrated
that estrogen positively regulates LGR7 mRNA
expression in the neonatal porcine cervix.4
Since relaxins actions are often species specific,
it is important to independently address this in
several species. That we have demonstrated this
effect of estrogen in cells from adult humans
decreases the likelihood that this action of estrogen is unique to early development. Also,

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

few studies have addressed the issue of which

hormones and/or growth factors regulate relaxin receptor expression and other aspects of
relaxins cellular mechanisms of action. Estradiol regulation of the expression of the relaxin
receptor may be the first step in its modulation
of relaxin action.
Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References
1. Palejwala, S., D.E. Stein, A. Wotjczuk, et al. 1998.
Demonstration of a relaxin receptor and relaxin
stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation in human lower
uterine segment fibroblasts. Endocrinology 139: 1208
1212.
2. Palejwala, S., D.E. Stein, G. Weiss, et al. 2001 Relaxin
positively regulates matrix metalloproteinase expression in human lower uterine segment fibroblasts using
a tyrosine kinase signalling pathway. Endocrinology 142:
34053413.
3. Mazella, J., M. Tang & L. Tseng. 2004. Disparate effects of relaxin and TGF1: Relaxin increases, but TGF1 inhibits, the relaxin receptor
and the production of IGFBP-1 in human endometrial stromal/decidual cells. Hum. Reprod. 19: 1513
1518.
4. Yan, W., J. Chen, A.A. Wiley, et al. 2008. Relaxin
(RLX) and estrogen affect estrogen receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and RLX receptor expression in the neonatal porcine uterus and cervix.
Reproduction 135: 705712.