Oviductal estrogen receptor α signaling prevents protease-mediated embryo death

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.10453
• Publication Date: 2015-11-24T14:15:33Z
• Authors: Wipawee Winuthayanon; Miranda L Bernhardt; Elizabeth Padilla...; Page H Myers; Matthew L Edin; Fred B Lih; Sylvia C Hewitt; Kenneth S Korach; Carmen J Williams
• Keywords: Oviduct; Conditional gene knockout

Development of uterine endometrial receptivity for implantation is orchestrated by cyclic steroid hormone-mediated signals. It unknown if these signals are necessary oviduct function in supporting fertilization and preimplantation development. Here we show that conditional knockout (cKO) mice lacking estrogen receptor α (ERα) epithelial cells have impaired due to a dramatic reduction sperm migration. In addition, all successfully fertilized eggs die before the 2-cell stage persistence secreted innate immune mediators including proteases. Elevated protease activity cKO oviducts causes premature degradation zona pellucida embryo lysis, wild-type embryos transferred into fail develop normally unless rescued concomitant transfer inhibitors. Thus, suppression oviductal mediated estrogen-epithelial ERα signaling required These findings implications human infertility post-coital contraception.