Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.
Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Sep 22;117(38):23952-23959. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2014272117. Epub 2020 Sep 8.
Glands of the uterus are essential for pregnancy establishment. Forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) is expressed specifically in the glands of the uterus and a critical regulator of glandular epithelium (GE) differentiation, development, and function. Mice with a conditional deletion of FOXA2 in the adult uterus, created using the lactotransferrin iCre (Ltf-iCre) model, have a morphologically normal uterus with glands, but lack FOXA2-dependent GE-expressed genes, such as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Adult FOXA2 conditional knockout (cKO; ) mice are infertile due to defective embryo implantation arising from a lack of LIF, a critical implantation factor of uterine gland origin. However, intraperitoneal injections of LIF can initiate embryo implantation in the uterus of adult FOXA2 cKO mice with pregnancies maintained to term. Here, we tested the hypothesis that FOXA2-regulated genes in the uterine glands impact development of the decidua, placenta, and fetus. On gestational day 8.5, the antimesometrial and mesometrial decidua transcriptome was noticeably altered in LIF-replaced FOXA2 cKO mice. Viable fetuses were reduced in FOXA2 cKO mice on gestational days 12.5 and 17.5. Sex-dependent differences in fetal weight, placenta histoarchitecture, and the placenta and metrial gland transcriptome were observed between control and FOXA2 cKO mice. The transcriptome of the placenta with a female fetus was considerably more altered than the placenta with a male fetus in FOXA2 cKO dams. These studies reveal previously unrecognized sexually dimorphic effects of FOXA2 and uterine glands on fetoplacental development with potential impacts on offspring health into adulthood.
子宫腺体对于妊娠的建立至关重要。叉头框转录因子 A2(FOXA2)特异性表达于子宫腺体,是调控腺体上皮(GE)分化、发育和功能的关键调节因子。利用乳转铁蛋白 iCre(Ltf-iCre)模型在成年子宫中创建条件性敲除 FOXA2 的小鼠,其子宫具有形态正常的腺体,但缺乏 FOXA2 依赖性 GE 表达基因,如白血病抑制因子(LIF)。由于缺乏子宫腺源性关键着床因子 LIF,成年 FOXA2 条件性敲除(cKO; )小鼠不孕,导致胚胎着床缺陷。然而,LIF 的腹腔内注射可以启动成年 FOXA2 cKO 小鼠的胚胎着床,妊娠可以维持至足月。在这里,我们检验了这样一个假设,即子宫腺中 FOXA2 调节的基因会影响蜕膜、胎盘和胎儿的发育。在妊娠第 8.5 天,LIF 替代 FOXA2 cKO 小鼠的子宫反系膜和系膜蜕膜转录组明显改变。FOXA2 cKO 小鼠在妊娠第 12.5 天和第 17.5 天的活胎减少。在 FOXA2 cKO 小鼠中,胎儿体重、胎盘组织学结构以及胎盘和蜕膜腺转录组存在性别依赖性差异。在 FOXA2 cKO 母鼠中,带有雌性胎儿的胎盘转录组的改变比带有雄性胎儿的胎盘更为明显。这些研究揭示了 FOXA2 和子宫腺体对胎仔-胎盘发育的以前未被认识的性别二态影响,可能对后代成年后的健康产生影响。