Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5429-4291
Date of Graduation
8-2026
Document Type
Thesis (MS)
Program Affiliation
Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree Name
Masters of Science (MS)
Advisor/Committee Chair
Richard R. Behringer, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Abhinav Jain, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Stephanie a. Pangas, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Heidi B. Kaplan, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Yoshihiro Komatsu, Ph.D.
Abstract
Transcriptional Regulation in the Uterine Luminal Epithelium
Evelyn A. Carrion
Advisor: Richard R. Behringer, PhD
Abstract
The uterus is an organ comprised of multiple tissues that are essential for women’s health and reproduction. The uterus is composed of multiple tissue layers, including the perimetrium, myometrium, and the endometrium. The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus, and contains the luminal epithelium, glandular epithelium, and stroma. The luminal epithelium is a simple columnar layer of cells that is necessary for embryo implantation. The uterus is derived in part from the embryonic precursor tissue called the Müllerian duct. There are no known enhancers that drive transcription in the uterine luminal epithelium or Müllerian duct. Wnt7a is expressed in both of these tissues. Wnt7a expression in the uterine luminal epithelium is required for uterine differentiation and fertility. Previously, the Behringer lab used a 245 kb BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) containing the Wnt7a locus to introduce a Cre gene into exon 2 to create a transgenic mouse line (Wnt7a-Cre). Crosses with a ROSA26-lacZ reporter mouse line showed that the 245 kb region contained Cis-regulatory elements to drive reporter expression in the Müllerian duct epithelium. The GENSAT organization created a BAC transgenic mouse resource to study brain gene expression. They used the same 245 kb BAC with the Wnt7a locus to generate a Wnt7a-EGFP transgenic mouse line. I found that EGFP was expressed in the Müllerian ducts and adult uterine luminal epithelium. Based on these data, I hypothesized that the Cis-regulatory element(s) responsible for Wnt7a transcription in the luminal epithelium and Müllerian duct is contained within the 245 kb genomic region. To test this hypothesis, I used ATAC-seq on purified adult uterine luminal epithelial cells to define the genome-wide open chromatin landscape. Analysis of the 245 kb BAC region identified tissue-specific open chromatin domains that are candidate regions for Wnt7a Müllerian duct and uterine luminal epithelium transcriptional enhancers. In addition, the transcriptomes of purified uterine luminal epithelial cells were generated by bulk RNA-seq to identify cell-type specific expression. These studies define the open chromatin landscape of uterine luminal epithelial cells and should lead to the identification of Cis-regulatory elements that direct uterine luminal epithelial cell and Müllerian duct-specific expression.
Recommended Citation
Carrion, Evelyn A., "Transcriptional Regulation in the Uterine Luminal Epithelium" (2026). Dissertations and Theses (Open Access). 1568.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/utgsbs_dissertations/1568
Keywords
Transcription, Enhancer, Uterus, Müllerian, Expression, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, Reproductive, Cis-regulatory, Luminal
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