Understanding what factors in the uterus are vital for a
healthy pregnancy is important in order to understand the causes of
pregnancy loss.
The majority of pregnancy losses occur during the first trimester,
when biological communication between the embryo and mother is critical
for the establishment of the pregnancy. Scientists and doctors have
known for several years that glands within the uterus produce Leukemia
Inhibitory Factor (LIF), which is vital for embryo implantation and
successful pregnancies.
‘Uterine glands serve additional functions for supporting embryo growth and development beyond simply producing Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF).’
Now, researchers at the University of Missouri
have found that uterine glands have additional roles in promoting
pregnancy beyond LIF. Tom Spencer, a professor of reproductive and
developmental biology at MU, says this discovery is important for
scientists and doctors to better understand how pregnancies develop and
to prevent pregnancy loss and complications such as miscarriage and
preeclampsia.
"Many serious problems that occur later in pregnancies, such as
preeclampsia, are likely rooted in the early stages of pregnancy,"
Spencer said. "In the future, this will allow us to improve assisted
reproduction and prevent issues that could pose serious health risks to
babies and their mothers. This also is important in the agricultural
world for improving reproduction in livestock, such as cattle and
sheep."
In their study, Spencer and his team of researchers from the MU
Division of Animal Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Food and
Natural Resources (CAFNR) as well as Washington State University and the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, examined the
development of mice embryos, which develop similarly to humans.
The
researchers removed a gene from the uteri of mice called FOXA2 using
common genetic editing techniques. Some of the mice lacked uterine
glands altogether. To the researchers' surprise, the uteri of adult
FOXA2-deficient mice did not produce LIF. The researchers then added LIF
to the mice mothers. The mice with uterine glands carried their embryos
to term with successful pregnancies; the mice without uterine glands
had failed pregnancies.
"We already knew that LIF was vital to ensuring successful
pregnancies," Spencer said. "However, this study has proven that uterine
glands serve additional functions for supporting embryo growth and
development beyond simply producing LIF. Our next step is to determine
what additional factors uterine glands produce to support pregnancies.
By understanding how these glands work, we can help improve the rates of
healthy and successful human and animal pregnancies produced by natural
and assisted means."
Source: Eurekalert
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