Male Seminal Relaxin Contributes to Induction of the Post-mating Cytokine Response in the Female Mouse Uterus.

ABSTRACT: The hormone relaxin is important in female reproduction for embryo implantation, cardiovascular function, and during labor and lactation. Relaxin is also synthesized in males by organs of the male tract. We hypothesized that relaxin might be one component of seminal plasma responsible for eliciting the female cytokine response induced in the uterus at mating. When recombinant relaxin was injected into the uterus of wild-type (Rln^+/+) mice at estrus, it evoked the production of Cxcl1 mRNA and its secreted protein product CXCL1 in four of eight animals. Mating experiments were then conducted using mice with a null mutation in the relaxin gene (Rln^-/- mice). qRT-PCR analysis of mRNA expression in wild-type females showed diminished uterine expression

SUBMITTER: Glynn DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5474474 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature