Msx 同源盒基因通过控制子宫基质和上皮之间的旁分泌信号,对胚胎着床起关键调控作用。
Msx homeobox genes critically regulate embryo implantation by controlling paracrine signaling between uterine stroma and epithelium.
机构信息
Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
出版信息
PLoS Genet. 2012;8(2):e1002500. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002500. Epub 2012 Feb 23.
The mammalian Msx homeobox genes, Msx1 and Msx2, encode transcription factors that control organogenesis and tissue interactions during embryonic development. We observed overlapping expression of these factors in uterine epithelial and stromal compartments of pregnant mice prior to embryo implantation. Conditional ablation of both Msx1 and Msx2 in the uterus resulted in female infertility due to a failure in implantation. In these mutant mice (Msx1/2(d/d)), the uterine epithelium exhibited persistent proliferative activity and failed to attach to the embryos. Gene expression profiling of uterine epithelium and stroma of Msx1/2(d/d) mice revealed an elevated expression of several members of the Wnt gene family in the preimplantation uterus. Increased canonical Wnt signaling in the stromal cells activated β-catenin, stimulating the production of a subset of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) in these cells. The secreted FGFs acted in a paracrine manner via the FGF receptors in the epithelium to promote epithelial proliferation, thereby preventing differentiation of this tissue and creating a non-receptive uterus refractory to implantation. Collectively, these findings delineate a unique signaling network, involving Msx1/2, Wnts, and FGFs, which operate in the uterus at the time of implantation to control the mesenchymal-epithelial dialogue critical for successful establishment of pregnancy.
哺乳动物的 Msx 同源盒基因 Msx1 和 Msx2 编码转录因子,它们在胚胎发育过程中控制器官发生和组织相互作用。我们观察到这些因子在怀孕小鼠胚胎植入前在子宫上皮和基质隔室中重叠表达。在子宫中条件性缺失 Msx1 和 Msx2 会导致女性不孕,因为胚胎植入失败。在这些突变小鼠(Msx1/2(d/d))中,子宫上皮表现出持续的增殖活性,并且无法附着到胚胎上。对 Msx1/2(d/d) 小鼠的子宫上皮和基质进行基因表达谱分析显示,在植入前子宫中 Wnt 基因家族的几个成员的表达水平升高。基质细胞中经典 Wnt 信号的增加激活了 β-catenin,刺激这些细胞中一组成纤维细胞生长因子(FGFs)的产生。分泌的 FGFs 通过上皮细胞中的 FGF 受体以旁分泌方式发挥作用,促进上皮细胞增殖,从而阻止组织分化并产生对植入具有抗性的非接受性子宫。总的来说,这些发现描绘了一个独特的信号网络,涉及 Msx1/2、Wnts 和 FGFs,它们在植入时在子宫中运作,控制对成功建立妊娠至关重要的间质-上皮对话。