Spencer Thomas E, Hayashi Kanako, Hu Jianbo, Carpenter Karen D
Center for Animal Biotechnology and Genomics, Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
Curr Top Dev Biol. 2005;68:85-122. doi: 10.1016/S0070-2153(05)68004-0.
The uterus is an essential organ for reproduction in mammals. Despite the importance of the uterus for the fertility and health of women and their offspring, relatively little is known about the hormonal, cellular, and molecular mechanisms that regulate development of the uterus in either the fetus or neonate. Disruption of uterine development in the fetus and neonate by genetic defects or exposure to endocrine disruptors can program the function of the uterus in the adult and lead to infertility, cancer, and even death. The intent of this chapter is to review the current knowledge of regulatory factors and pathways governing prenatal organogenesis and postnatal morphogenesis of the uterus in mammals, with a particular focus on laboratory and domestic animals. Prenatal organogenesis, postnatal morphogenesis, and adult functional differentiation of the uterus are complex, multifactorial processes. Although conservation of some factors and pathways are observed between species, it is clear that mutation of candidate genes in the mouse does not always recapitulate the same defects observed in the human. Therefore, comparative biology of the mechanisms regulating uterine development in other species may be useful to identify candidate genes and pathways to understand congenital abnormalities in humans. This knowledge is necessary to develop rational therapies to prevent and treat infertility and to enhance fertility in humans and domestic animals.
子宫是哺乳动物繁殖的重要器官。尽管子宫对女性及其后代的生育能力和健康至关重要，但对于调节胎儿或新生儿子宫发育的激素、细胞和分子机制，人们了解得相对较少。胎儿和新生儿期子宫发育因遗传缺陷或接触内分泌干扰物而受到破坏，可能会影响成年后子宫的功能，导致不孕、癌症甚至死亡。本章旨在综述目前关于哺乳动物子宫产前器官发生和产后形态发生的调控因子和途径的知识，特别关注实验动物和家畜。子宫的产前器官发生、产后形态发生和成年功能分化是复杂的多因素过程。虽然在不同物种之间观察到一些因子和途径的保守性，但很明显，小鼠中候选基因的突变并不总是能重现人类中观察到的相同缺陷。因此，研究其他物种子宫发育调控机制的比较生物学，可能有助于识别候选基因和途径，以了解人类先天性异常。这些知识对于开发预防和治疗不孕症以及提高人类和家畜生育能力的合理疗法是必要的。
