Lactoferrin is a member of the transferrin family of iron-binding glycoprot
eins. Lactoferrin is induced by estrogen in the mouse uterus during early p
regnancy. However, the expression and function, if any, of lactoferrin in t
he preimplantation embryo during this developmental period has not been inv
estigated. In the current study, the spatiotemporal expression of lactoferr
in during murine embryogenesis was examined using in situ hybridization and
immunohistochemical analyses. Lactoferrin expression was first detected in
the 2-4 cell fertilized embryo and continued until the blastocyst stage of
development. Interestingly, at the 16-cell stage, coinciding with the firs
t major differentiation step in the embryo, lactoferrin messenger RNA (mRNA
) is synthesized by the inner cells, whereas the protein is selectively tak
en up by the outside cells. This differential pattern of lactoferrin messen
ger RNA and protein localization continues until the blastocyst stage, with
expression almost absent in the hatched blastocyst. Lactoferrin expression
does not resume in the embryo until the latter half of gestation, where it
is first detected in neutrophils of the fetal Liver at embryonic day 11.5
and later in epithelial cells of the respiratory and digestive systems. Our
results show that lactoferrin is expressed in a tightly regulated spatiote
mporal manner during murine embryogenesis and suggest a novel paracrine rol
e for this protein in the development of the trophoectodermal lineage durin
g preimplantation development.