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9 June 2021 Loss of basigin expression in uterine cells leads to subfertility in female mice
Kailiang Li, Quanxi Li, Shah Tauseef Bashir, Brent M. Bany, Romana A. Nowak
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Abstract

Basigin (BSG) is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. BSG has been shown to be essential for male and female reproduction although little is known about its role in normal uterine function. To study the potential function of BSG in the female reproductive tract, we generated mice with conditional knockout of Bsg in uterine cells using progesterone receptor-Cre and hypothesized that BSG is required for normal pregnancy in mice. Fertility study data showed that the conditional knockout mice had significantly reduced fertility compared to controls. Ovarian function of the conditional knockout mice appeared normal with no difference in the number of superovulated oocytes collected or in serum progesterone levels between the conditional knockout and the control mice. Uterine tissues collected at various times of gestation showed increased abnormalities in implantation, decidualization, placentation, and parturition in the conditional knockout mice. Uterine cross sections on Day 5 of pregnancy showed implantation failure and abnormal uterine epithelial differentiation in a large proportion of the conditional knockout mice. There was a compromised decidual response to artificial decidualization stimuli and decreased mRNA and protein levels for decidualization genes in the uteri of the conditional knockout mice. We also observed altered protein expression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), as well as impaired angiogenesis in the conditional knockout uteri compared to the controls. These results support that BSG is required for successful pregnancy through its functions in implantation and decidualization.

Summary sentence

Loss of Bsg expression in the uterus leads to subfertility in mice due to impaired implantation and decidualization.

Graphical Abstract

© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for the Study of Reproduction. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
Kailiang Li, Quanxi Li, Shah Tauseef Bashir, Brent M. Bany, and Romana A. Nowak "Loss of basigin expression in uterine cells leads to subfertility in female mice," Biology of Reproduction 105(4), 859-875, (9 June 2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioab109
Received: 19 July 2020; Accepted: 27 May 2021; Published: 9 June 2021
KEYWORDS
angiogenesis
decidualization
fertility
implantation
mouse model
pregnancy
uterus
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