Welcome Changes

During the earliest days of pregnancy, tissues in the uterus change, becoming more hospitable for the embryo – a process known as decidualization. In these rat uteruses a chemical called Menin-1, ‘switches on’ in different areas (highlighted in purple): prior to the embryo implanting (top left and middle) then later surrounding the outline of the implanted embryo (bottom row). Menin-1 changes the uterus cells’ epigenetics – chemicals that float around the DNA, affecting which genes can be accessed. This helps to ‘reprogramme’ the uterine cells, controlling growth factors to steady the pace of developments in the uterus. With this new window into early pregnancy, future research may look into ways to help human Menin-1 in its vital role and improve fertility.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Mengying Liu and Wenbo Deng, and colleagues
• Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, February 2022