Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Loss- and Gain-of-function Approach to Investigate Early Cell Fate Determinants in Preimplantation Mouse Embryos
08:43

Loss- and Gain-of-function Approach to Investigate Early Cell Fate Determinants in Preimplantation Mouse Embryos

Published on: June 6, 2016

Genes involved in implantation

L A Salamonsen1, G Nie, E Dimitriadis

  • 1Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. lois.salamonsen@med.monash.edu.au

Reproduction, Fertility, and Development
|September 8, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Understanding endometrial receptivity is key for fertility. Leukemia inhibitory factor and interleukin-11 receptor alpha chain are crucial for embryo implantation, with potential roles in human fertility.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive biology
  • Molecular genetics
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • The endometrium presents a hostile environment for embryos, except during a brief fertile window.
  • The molecular mechanisms regulating endometrial receptivity remain largely unknown.
  • Previous research identified key genes like leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and interleukin-11 receptor alpha chain (IL-11Rα).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on genes influencing endometrial receptivity.
  • To investigate the role of LIF and IL-11Rα in embryo implantation.
  • To identify novel genes involved in the implantation process.

Main Methods:

  • Review of literature on endometrial receptivity genes.
  • Analysis of mouse models with null mutations in LIF and IL-11Rα genes.
  • Application of RNA differential display to compare gene expression in mouse uterine implantation and inter-implantation sites.

Main Results:

  • Mice lacking LIF or IL-11Rα exhibit infertility due to implantation failure.
  • LIF and IL-11Rα show expression patterns in human endometrium suggesting a role in fertility.
  • RNA differential display identified calcium-binding protein D9K, non-specific suppressor factor beta, and splicing factor SC35 as potentially important genes.

Conclusions:

  • LIF and IL-11Rα are critical for successful embryo implantation.
  • These genes may play a significant role in human reproductive processes.
  • Further research is needed to explore the therapeutic potential of manipulating these genes for endometrial receptivity.

More Related Videos

Protocol for Human Blastoids Modeling Blastocyst Development and Implantation12:09

Protocol for Human Blastoids Modeling Blastocyst Development and Implantation

Published on: August 10, 2022

Establishment of an Embryo Implantation Model In Vitro05:13

Establishment of an Embryo Implantation Model In Vitro

Published on: June 21, 2024

Related Concept Videos

In-vitro Mutagenesis01:16

In-vitro Mutagenesis

To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.
Fertilization01:38

Fertilization

During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...
Cleavage and Blastulation01:33

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance02:30

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation01:10

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...