Objective: To determine whether OE-E6/E7, an immortalized human oviductal epithelial cell line, expresses oviductin messenger RNA (mRNA) and its translated protein.
Design: Transmission electron microscopy was employed to characterize the morphology of OE-E6/E7 cells followed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of oviductin mRNA and sequencing of the nested-PCR product. Confocal microscopy was used, using a polyclonal antibody against human oviductin and Con A as a marker for mannose residues, to reveal the colocalization of human oviduct-specific glycoprotein with the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi compartments.
Setting: University-based anatomy and cell biology department.
Patient(s): Women undergoing laparoscopy for tubal ligation or hysterectomy due to uterine fibroma.
Intervention(s): An immortalized OE-E6/E7 cell line was previously established using human oviductal epithelial cells. Electron microscopy, RT-PCR, sequencing, immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy were performed.
Main outcome measure(s): The presence of human oviductin mRNA and protein in OE-E6/E7 cells.
Result(s): OE-E6/E7 cells retain morphological features characteristic of secretory cells and express human oviductin mRNA and its translated protein.
Conclusion(s): OE-E6/E7 cells were characterized for the first time by electron microscopy and shown to exhibit histological features typical of secretory cells. Reverse-transcription PCR with sequencing and confocal microscopy showed, respectively, that human oviductin mRNA and protein are expressed in OE-E6/E7 cells. Our results suggest that OE-E6/E7 could be a useful tool for future studies of the function of human oviductin.