Transcription and translation of dickkopf-1 in endometrium of pregnant mice during the peri-implantation period

Abstract

To study the expression of Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) in endometrium of pregnant mice during the peri implantation period and the role of DKK-1 during the embryo implantation in mice. Immunohistochemical technique was employed to determine the location of DKK-1 protein in endometrium, and semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was utilized to determine the levels of DKK-1 mRNA. Our results showed that the expressions of DKK1 mRNA and protein were higher in experimental groups than in control group (P<0.01). and it increased significantly on day 3 and reached its peak on day 4. and then decreased gradually on day 5–7. The levels of DKK-1 mRNA and protein on day 1 was significantly higher than those of other groups (P<0.01). It is concluded that DKK-1 probably plays an important role in signal transudation of embryo implantation and its high expression indicates the opening of implantation window.

Keywords

DKK-1 / embryo implantation / endometrium

References

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