Gene pathway analysis of the endometrium at the start of the window of implantation in women with unexplained infertility and unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss: is unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss a subset of unexplained infertility?

Abstract

This study aims to understand differences/similarities in the genetic profile of the endometrium at the start of window of implantation (WOI) in women with unexplained infertility (UI) and unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (uRPL). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the endometrium were evaluated using gene expression array and pathway enrichment analysis was performed to analyse gene expression pathways involved in both conditions. We found 2,171 genes arranged in 117 pathways and 730 genes arranged in 33 pathways differentially expressed in endometrium of patients in UI and uRPL, respectively. Complement-coagulation cascades, morphine addiction pathway, and PI3K-Akt signalling pathway were predominantly differentially expressed in UI. Cancer pathways, NF-κB signalling pathway, and actin cytoskeleton regulation pathway showed significant changes in uRPL. Forty-eight percent of DEGs and 84% of differentially expressed pathways in uRPL were found in the endometrium of UI patients. Unexpected close association in gene expression pathways between UI and uRPL is observed supporting the hypothesis ‘uRPL is a clinical subset of UI’. Yet 100% DEGs overlap wasn’t found suggesting the endometrium has still some different gene expression patterns at start of WOI in UI and uRPL. Lastly, diagnostic tools may be developed for uRPL because more specific genes-pathways are involved compared with UI, which shows broader genetic expression profile.

Keywords:

• Transcription
• infertility
• window of implantation
• endometrium
• pathway

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University for funding this project. Lastly, we would like to thank David F. Chapman, BSc for language editing of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The microarray data is available at GEO with the ID: GSE165004 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE165004).

Additional information

Funding

This study is funded by Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit, Istanbul University Award number 31161 and 51472. This work was supported by Bilimsel Arastirma Projeleri Birimi.