Embryonic regulation of endometrial molecules in human implantation

Embryonic implantation requires co-ordinated development of the blastocyst and the maternal endometrium. Considerable advances have been made in under standing the cell biology of these partner tissues separately. Nevertheless , communication between these tissues and the reciprocal effects of these t issues on each other constitutes an exciting and as yet unsolved paradigm i n reproductive medicine. Crosstalk between the embryo, endometrium and the corpus luteum is known to occur in ruminants and primates, and, more specif ically, endometrial-embryonic interactions are reported in rodents and prim ates. In this review, an ill vitro model for analysing the interactions bet ween human endometrial epithelium and blastocyst in the adhesion phase of e mbryonic implantation is presented. The results of investigations of embryo nic regulation of endometrial epithelial molecules such as adhesion molecul es, mucins, chemokines and cytoskeleton proteins are also presented.