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Mother's Day in the UK Crypt Keepers
11 March 2018

Crypt Keepers

Glands lining the wall of the uterus are vital throughout pregnancy – they produce chemicals that nourish an early embryo. But researchers discovered something else, after using light-sheet microscopy to get a good look at the glands (coloured in blue) growing from the walls (purple) of these mouse uteruses. The 3D images on the top (with increased detail on the right), show glands arranged like fingers in a glove, around a region of the uterus called a crypt where the embryo implants. Researchers believe glands reach out and touch the embryo, and the combination of chemical and physical contact may be disrupted during pregnancy, resulting in miscarriage. The uterus in the lower images, pictured with a different technique, lacks an important protein called Vangl2, leaving its glands withered and in disarray. The next job is investigating the role of similar proteins in guiding the connection between human embryos and mum’s uterine glands.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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