A unique signaling network regulated by the homeobox transcription factors MSX1 and MSX2 in the mouse uterus critically controls female fertility.

During implantation, various tissue compartments within the uterus, including epithelium and stroma, undergo sequential proliferation and differentiation as the embryo attaches to the uterus and invades into the maternal tissue. There is only limited understanding of the molecular signaling pathways that interconnect these tissue compartments to achieve a functional state of the uterus conducive to implantation. A new study published in PLOS Genetics by co-corresponding authors Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology Milan Bagchi and Professor of Comparative Biosciences Indrani Bagchi reveals that a unique signaling network regulated by the homeobox transcription factors MSX1 and MSX2 in the mouse uterus critically controls female fertility.