Deciphering the molecular basis of uterine receptivity.
Uterine receptivity is defined as a limited time period during which the uterus enters into an appropriately differentiated state that is ready for the initiation of implantation by competent blastocysts. Although various cellular aspects and molecular pathways involved in uterine receptivity have been identified by gene expression studies and genetically engineered mouse models, a comprehensive understanding of the window of uterine receptivity is still missing. This review focuses on the recent progress in this area, with particular focus on the molecular basis of stromal-epithelial dialogue and crosstalk between the blastocyst and the uterus during implantation. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing the window of uterine receptivity is hoped to generate new strategies to correct implantation failure and to improve pregnancy rates in women.
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China.
Shuang
S
Zhang
Shuangbo
S
Kong
Jinhua
J
Lu
Qiang
Q
Wang
Yongjie
Y
Chen
Weixiang
W
Wang
Bingyan
B
Wang
Haibin
H
Wang
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000502:physiology; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014599:Uterus / Q000502:physiology*