title: Inhibition of the beta-catenin signaling pathway in blastocyst and uterus during the window of implantation in mice.
abstract: Beta-catenin, the mammalian homolog of Drosophila armadillo protein, was first identified as a cadherin-associated protein at cell-cell junctions. Another function of beta-catenin is the transduction of cytosolic signals to the nucleus in a variety of cellular contexts, which usually are elicited by the active form of beta-catenin. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential role of active beta-catenin in the mouse embryo and uterus during embryo implantation. Active beta-catenin was detected differentially in mouse embryos and uteri during the peri-implantation period. Aberrant activation of beta-catenin by LiCl, a well-known glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibitor, significantly inhibited blastocyst hatching and subsequent adhesion and outgrowth on fibronectin. Results obtained from pseudopregnant and implantation-delayed mice imply an important role for implanting blastocysts in the temporal and spatial changes of active beta-catenin in the uterus during the window of implantation. Collectively, these results suggest that the beta-catenin signaling pathway is inhibited in both blastocyst and uterus during the window of implantation, which may represent a new mechanism to synchronize the development of preimplantation embryos and differentiation of the uterus during this process.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100080, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jian V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yu-Jing
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Jia-Xi
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wei-Min
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiu-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: En-Kui
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Duan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495267:CTNNB1 protein, mouse; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin