Use of Laser Capture Microdissection in Studying Hormone-Dependent Diseases: Endometriosis

Endometriosis, a common gynecological disorder responsible for infertility and pelvic pain, is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma within extra-uterine sites. Gene expression studies performed on endometriotic tissue homogenates have yielded results reflecting mRNA abundance in a mixture of cell types (including epithelial cells, stromal cells, fibrotic tissue, and muscle tissue). Therefore, a method for quantifying gene expression separately in individual cell populations is essential for identifying genetic markers. Laser capture microdissection is a technique for obtaining pure populations of cells from heterogeneous tissues. This chapter provides methods to obtain high-quality RNA suitable for a variety of different down stream applications from frozen endometrial and endometriotic tissues for laser capture microdissection, using the Arcturus PixCell II system.