Differential expression of secreted phosphoprotein 1 in response to estradiol-17β and in ovarian tumors in chickens

Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), a highly phosphorylated protein containing a polyaspartic acid sequence and a conserved RGD motif, plays important roles in physiological processes such as inflammatory responses, calcification, organ development, immune cell function and carcinogenesis. Results of the present study indicate expression of SPP1 mRNA in various organs such as oviduct, small intestine and kidney from chickens, particularly in the glandular epithelium (GE) of the shell gland and, to a lesser extent, in luminal epithelium (LE) of the infundibulum and magnum, and GE of the isthmus of the oviduct. We determined that DES (diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen) decreases SPP1 expression in the oviduct and that SPP1 mRNA and protein are significantly more abundant in GE of ovarian endometrioid carcinoma, but not the other cancerous and normal ovaries of hens. Further, microRNA-140 was discovered to influence SPP1 expression via its 3'-UTR which suggests that post-transcriptional regulation influences SPP1 expression in chickens. Collectively, results of this study indicate that SPP1 is novel in that its expression is down-regulated by estrogen in epithelial cells of the chicken oviduct and that it is up-regulated in chicken ovarian endometrioid tumor that could be used for monitoring effects of therapies for this disease in laying hens.