ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Reproduction - Theriogenology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1661930
This article is part of the Research TopicEmbryo-Maternal Communication: Uncovering Molecular and Cellular MechanismsView all 3 articles
Different responses of luminal and glandular epithelium during mouse embryo implantation
Provisionally accepted- 1Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, China
- 2Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 3Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- 4Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- 5Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Embryo implantation, a crucial process for establishing and maintaining a successful pregnancy, involves the attachment and invasion of the embryo into the endometrium. The glandular epithelium (GE) within endometrial glands secretes multiple factors to support embryonic development, while the luminal epithelium (LE) covering the endometrial surface directly interacts with the embryo and regulates its invasion. In this study, we established the mouse model of delayed and activated implantation to investigate the distinct regulatory mechanisms of LE and GE during embryo implantation. Through RNA sequencing and functional enrichment analysis of LE and GE tissues collected at different time points during activation, we revealed significant functional divergence between these two epithelial compartments across implantation stages. LE might predominantly regulate embryo attachment and initial invasion via activation of JAK-STAT, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. In contrast, GE may exhibit specialized functions supporting embryonic development and maintaining the uterine microenvironment by modulating retinol metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and the Notch signaling pathway. Time-series analysis by Mfuzz further uncovered dynamic response patterns in both epithelial layers following progesterone administration. JAK-STAT and MAPK signaling pathways were significantly up-regulated in the LE after 3 hours of treatment with estradiol-17β in mice. Retinol metabolism and glutathione metabolism signaling pathway were up-regulated in the GE after being treated with estradiol-17β in mice. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying embryo-endometrial crosstalk, offering valuable implications for developing therapeutic strategies for implantation-related infertility and optimizing assisted reproductive technologies.
Keywords: Luminal epithelium, Glandular epithelium, Embryo Implantation, signaling pathway, RNA sequencing
Received: 08 Jul 2025; Accepted: 01 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cui, Guan, Liu, Xu, Xie, Jiao, Jin, Wang and YANG. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lin Jin, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, China
Peng-Chao Wang, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, China
ZHENSHAN YANG, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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