Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2025

Isolation of Mouse Endometrial Epithelial and Stromal Cells for In Vitro Decidualization
08:37

Isolation of Mouse Endometrial Epithelial and Stromal Cells for In Vitro Decidualization

Published on: March 2, 2017

24.3K

Steroid receptor coactivator-2 drives epithelial reprogramming that enables murine embryo implantation

Vineet K Maurya1, Maria M Szwarc1, David M Lonard1

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Coregulator Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.

FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
|November 14, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Steroid receptor coactivator-2 (SRC-2) is crucial for embryo implantation by enabling uterine receptivity. Loss of SRC-2 prevents embryo attachment, highlighting its role in early pregnancy establishment.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Molecular Endocrinology
  • Cellular Biology

Background:

  • Steroid receptor coactivator-2 (SRC-2) is known to be essential for decidualization in endometrial stromal cells.
  • The role of SRC-2 in earlier stages of embryo implantation, specifically in the uterine luminal epithelium, remains inadequately addressed.
  • Uterine receptivity is a critical prerequisite for successful embryo implantation and establishment of early pregnancy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of endometrial SRC-2 in the critical early stages of embryo implantation.
  • To determine if SRC-2 is required for the plasma membrane transformation (PMT) state necessary for uterine receptivity.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which SRC-2 influences uterine receptivity and implantation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a conditional SRC-2 knockout mouse model (SRC-2d/d) in timed natural pregnancy studies.
  • Examined embryo attachment and adherence to the uterine luminal epithelium in SRC-2d/d and control mice.
  • Assessed the expression of Mucin 1 and E-cadherin in the luminal epithelium.
  • Performed transcriptomic analysis to identify gene expression changes in the SRC-2d/d endometrium.

Main Results:

  • Endometrial SRC-2 is essential for embryo attachment and adherence to the uterine luminal epithelium.
  • SRC-2d/d mice exhibit implantation failure associated with persistent apical Mucin 1 and basolateral E-cadherin expression.
  • The SRC-2d/d luminal epithelium fails to undergo the plasma membrane transformation (PMT) required for uterine receptivity.
  • Transcriptomics revealed disrupted expression of genes involved in steroid hormone control, epithelial tight junctions, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in SRC-2d/d endometrium.

Conclusions:

  • Endometrial SRC-2 plays a novel and critical role in inducing the luminal epithelial PMT state.
  • This SRC-2-dependent PMT is a prerequisite for establishing uterine receptivity and successful early pregnancy.
  • SRC-2 regulates key molecular pathways, including those controlling epithelial integrity and plasticity, essential for implantation.
Keywords:
endometriumepitheliumimplantationmousesteroid receptor coactivator-2transcriptome

More Related Videos

Kinetic Measurement and Real Time Visualization of Somatic Reprogramming08:56

Kinetic Measurement and Real Time Visualization of Somatic Reprogramming

Published on: July 30, 2016

6.7K
Author Spotlight: Advancing Therapeutic Strategies for Improving Pregnancy Rates by Analyzing Embryo-Endometrium Interactions05:13

Author Spotlight: Advancing Therapeutic Strategies for Improving Pregnancy Rates by Analyzing Embryo-Endometrium Interactions

Published on: June 21, 2024

887

Related Concept Videos

Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming01:24

Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming

Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for...
1.8K
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...
2.2K
Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming01:14

Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming

Nuclear reprogramming is the process of switching gene expression of one cell type to that of another cell type, usually from a differentiated cell state to an undifferentiated cell state. Differentiation occurs during processes such as development and morphogenesis, tissue regeneration, and malignancy. Cells can also be artificially induced to reprogram their gene expression by techniques such as nuclear transfer, induced pluripotency, and cell fusion. Such techniques have many applications in...
1.9K
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
7.4K