The mammalian embryo relies on physical connections to its mother to survive. After implantation into the wall of the uterus and before the placenta is established, a structure known as the decidua forms and is key to supporting embryonic development. Defective formation of an effective decidua is thought to be a cause of female infertility. A team of researchers, led by Toru Miyazaki, at the University of Tokyo, Japan, has now determined that the protein DEDD is required for the formation of a functional decidua in mice. The authors therefore suggest that it would be interesting to investigate whether DEDD dysfunction is the cause of infertility in some women.
TITLE: Death effector domain–containing protein (DEDD) is required for uterine decidualization during early pregnancy in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Toru Miyazaki
Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Phone: 81.3.5841.1435; Fax: 81.3.5841.1438; E-mail: tm@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp .
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/44723?key=1ec7d446ccdf85707aaa
Journal of Clinical Investigation