N-Myc and STAT Interactor Is A Endometriosis Suppressor Gene

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease. A pivotal contributor to endometriosis is the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), which drives the condition by impeding cell death through interferon (IFN) signaling. One noteworthy component of this cascade is the N-myc and STAT Interactor (NMI), an interferon alpha (IFNα) target gene whose expression is repressed in endometriotic lesions compared to normal endometrium. This repression is particularly pronounced in stromal cells, mediated by ERβ. The results of Western blot analyses, comparing IFNα-treated and untreated cells, demonstrate that IFNα treatment triggers cell death signaling, including apoptosis and necroptosis, in endometrial stromal cells. Intriguingly, NMI knockdown (KD) obstructed IFNα-induced cell death signaling in human endometrial stromal cells. Moreover, NMI KD amplified non-canonical IFNα pathways, such as β-Catenin/GSK3β and PI3K/AKT signaling, in endometrial stromal cells following IFNα treatment. RNA sequencing analyses unveiled that NMI KD augmented the expression of genes responsible for cell-cell adhesion and extracellular structural organization in IFNα-independent manners. These findings suggest that NMI KD plays an indispensable role in enhancing the adhesion and invasion of endometriotic cells during endometriosis progression. In summary, NMI functions as an endometriosis suppressor gene in endometriotic stromal cells, curbing the advancement of endometriosis. This intricate interplay of ERβ, IFNα signaling, and NMI offers novel insights into the mechanisms governing endometriosis development.