MOLECULAR-INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EMBRYO AND UTERUS IN THE ADHESION PHASE OF HUMAN IMPLANTATION

Molecular interactions at the embryo-maternal interface at the time of implantation is an exciting field demanding a wide effort in order to understand the crucial process of embryonic implantation. The objecti ve of the present work is to demonstrate the existence of a specific c ommunication pathway (at the molecular level) between embryo and endom etrium in the adhesion phase of human embryonic implantation. This pat hway of molecular interactions is apparently initiated by the endometr ium in the presence of an implanting blastocyst. It is mediated throug h the embryonic interleukin (IL)-1 alpha + IL-1 beta, and the target i s the endometrial epithelial pg integrin subunit, If the relevance of beta(3) is accepted as a marker of uterine receptivity, these observat ions may imply that the normal hormonally-regulated human endometrium is the trigger of molecular events preparing the blastocyst to efficie ntly communicate and regulate endometrial adhesion molecules in order to implant.