Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Dev Dyn. 2020 Nov;249(11):1377-1386. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.234. Epub 2020 Sep 3.
The uterus is the location where multiple events occur that are required for the start of new life in mammals. The adult uterus contains endometrial or uterine glands that are essential for female fertility. In the mouse, uterine glands are located in the lateral and antimesometrial regions of the uterine horn. Previous three-dimensional (3D)-imaging of the adult uterus, its glands, and implanting embryos has been performed by multiple groups, using fluorescent microscopy. Adenogenesis, the formation of uterine glands, initiates after birth. Recently, we created a 3D-staging system of mouse uterine gland development at postnatal time points, using light sheet fluorescent microscopy. Here, using a similar approach, we examine the morphological changes in the epithelium of the perinatal mouse uterus.
The uterine epithelium exhibits dorsoventral (mesometrial-antimesometrial) patterning as early as 3 days after birth (P3), marked by the presence of the dorsally positioned developing uterine rail. Uterine gland buds are present beginning at P4. Novel morphological epithelial structures, including a ventral ridge and uterine segments were identified.
The perinatal mouse uterine luminal epithelium develops dorsal-ventral morphologies at 3 to 4 days postpartum. Between 5 and 6 days postpartum uterine epithelial folds form, defining alternating left-right segments.
子宫是多种事件发生的位置，这些事件是哺乳动物新生命开始所必需的。成年子宫包含子宫内膜或子宫腺体，这对女性生育至关重要。在小鼠中，子宫腺体位于子宫角的侧部和反系膜侧。多个研究小组已经使用荧光显微镜对成年子宫、其腺体和植入胚胎进行了三维（3D）成像。腺发生，即子宫腺体的形成，始于出生后。最近，我们使用光片荧光显微镜创建了一个在出生后时间点的小鼠子宫腺发育的 3D 分期系统。在这里，我们使用类似的方法检查了围产期小鼠子宫上皮的形态变化。
子宫上皮早在出生后 3 天（P3）就表现出背腹（系膜侧-反系膜侧）模式，其特征是存在位于背部的发育中的子宫轨。从 P4 开始出现子宫腺体芽。鉴定出了新的形态上皮结构，包括腹侧嵴和子宫段。
产后 3 至 4 天，围产期小鼠子宫腔上皮发育出背腹形态。产后 5 至 6 天，子宫上皮褶皱形成，定义了交替的左右节段。
