Publication Date
8-15-2024
Journal
Development
DOI
10.1242/dev.202938
PMID
39023143
PMCID
PMC11385321
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
8-29-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
Animals, Female, Embryo Implantation, Pregnancy, Mice, Decidua, Uterus, Embryo, Mammalian, Mice, Knockout, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Implantation, Collagen, Non-linear microscopy, Second-harmonic generation, Third-harmonic generation, Smad
Abstract
Effective interplay between the uterus and the embryo is essential for pregnancy establishment; however, convenient methods to screen embryo implantation success and maternal uterine response in experimental mouse models are currently lacking. Here, we report 3DMOUSEneST, a groundbreaking method for analyzing mouse implantation sites based on label-free higher harmonic generation microscopy, providing unprecedented insights into the embryo-uterine dynamics during early pregnancy. The 3DMOUSEneST method incorporates second-harmonic generation microscopy to image the three-dimensional structure formed by decidual fibrillar collagen, named 'decidual nest', and third-harmonic generation microscopy to evaluate early conceptus (defined as the embryo and extra-embryonic tissues) growth. We demonstrate that decidual nest volume is a measurable indicator of decidualization efficacy and correlates with the probability of early pregnancy progression based on a logistic regression analysis using Smad1/5 and Smad2/3 conditional knockout mice with known implantation defects. 3DMOUSEneST has great potential to become a principal method for studying decidual fibrillar collagen and characterizing mouse models associated with early embryonic lethality and fertility issues.
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