Analysis of spontaneous early embryonic lethality in mice

The incidence of spontaneously occurring deciduomata is considerably higher in T-stock than in (C3H X C57BL)F1 females. The basis for this difference was studied in vivo, by means of embryo transplantation procedure, and in vitro, by means of short-term embryo culture. Both studies indicate that strain differences in the incidence of spontaneous deciduomata may be largely, if not wholly, accounted for by genetic differences between embryos themselves expressed in terms of the rate of development during the preimplantation period and in the ability to survive the preimplantation and early implantation environment.