E2F2 is upregulated by the ERK pathway and regulates decidualization via MCM4

Cell cycle modulation is an important event during decidualization. E2F2 is a transcription regulator that plays a vital role in cell cycle regulation. However, the biological role of E2F2 in decidualization has not yet been identified. In this study, estrogen (E2) and progestin (P4)-induced in vitro and in vivo decidualization models were applied. Our data showed that the expression levels of E2F2 and its downstream target MCM4 were downregulated in the uterus tissues of E2P4-treated mice compared with control mice. In hESCs, exposure to E2P4 resulted in a significant decrease in E2F2 and MCM4 expression. E2P4 treatment reduced hESC proliferation and ectopic expression of E2F2 or MCM4 elevated the viability of E2P4-treated hESCs. In addition, ectopic expression of E2F2 or MCM4 restored the expression of G1 phase-associated proteins. The ERK pathway was inactivated in E2P4-treated hESCs. Treatment with ERK agonist Ro 67-7476 restored the expression of E2F2, MCM4, and G1 phase-associated proteins that were inhibited by E2P4. Moreover, Ro 67-7476 retracted the levels of IGFBP1 and PRL that were induced by E2P4. Collectively, our results indicate that E2F2 is regulated by ERK signaling and contributes to decidualization via regulation of MCM4. Therefore, E2F2/MCM4 cascade may serve as promising targets for alleviating decidualization dysfunction.