Affiliation: | (1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, British Columbia Children's and Women's Hospital, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, V6H 3V5 Vancouver, BC, Canada;(2) Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, 361-763 Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea |
Abstract: | Although Calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k), a cytosolic calcium binding protein which has calcium binding sites, is expressed in various tissues, i.e., intestine, uterus, and placenta, potential roles of this gene and its protein are not clearly understood. Uterine CaBP-9k may be involved in controlling myometrial activity related with intracellular calcium level and is not under the control of vitamin D despite the presence of vitamin D receptors. But, it is under the control of the sex steroid hormones, estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4), in female reproductive systems including the uterus and placenta. Thus, in this review, we summarize recent research literature in regards to the expression and regulation of CaBP-9k in mammals and introduce the research data of recent studies by us and others. |