Role of uterine epithelium in the development of myometrial smooth muscle cells.
To study the role of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in myometrial development, uteri from neonatal Balb/c mice 1 to 60 days postpartum were utilized. Intact (untrypsinized) uteri, trypsinized but unseparated uteri, homotypic uterine tissue recombinants (separated-recombined), or uterine mesenchyme alone were grafted beneath the renal capsule of syngeneic female hosts and grown for 1 mo. Uterine mesenchyme from 1-day mice grafted alone produced small amounts of smooth muscle, most of which was associated with vasculature, whereas uterine mesenchyme from older donors possessing a rudimentary myometrium at the time of grafting formed intermediate amounts of myometrium (actin-positive smooth muscle bundles). In contrast, all specimens containing epithelium (intact, trypsinized, and separated-recombined) developed large amounts of myometrium. Uterine epithelia from neonatal through adult stages were equally effective in permissively inducing myometrial development in 1-day uterine mesenchyme. From these data, it is apparent that uterine epithelium plays an important promotional role in the differentiation and possibly the spatial organization of the myometrium.
Cunha
G R
GR
Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
Young
P
P
Brody
J R
JR
D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008970:Molecular Weight; D024510:Muscle Development; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D009215:Myometrium / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D014599:Uterus / Q000502:physiology*
D000199:Actins