Uterine Glands: Development Biology and Function During PregnancyAcademic Article
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This review focuses on the developmental biology and functional roles of endometrial glands in mammalian uteri with emphasis on domestic livestock. All uteri contain endometrial glands that synthesize or transport and secrete substances essential for survival and development of the conceptus (embryo/fetus and associated extraembryonic membranes). Analyses of the ovine uterine gland knockout (UGKO) model support a primary role for endometrial glands and, by default, their secretions in peri-implantation conceptus survival and development. Uterine adenogenesis is the process whereby endometrial glands develop and is primarily a postnatal event in domestic livestock, rodents and humans. Endometrial adenogenesis involves differentiation and budding of glandular epithelium (GE) from lumenal epithelium (LE), followed by invagination and extensive tubular coiling and branching morphogenesis throughout the stroma to the myometrium. In neonatal ungulates, studies implicate prolactin, estradiol-17 and their receptors in mechanisms regulating endometrial adenogenesis. In sheep and pigs, extensive endometrial gland hyperplasia and hypertrophy occurs during gestation, presumably to provide increasing histotrophic support for fetoplacental growth and development. A servomechanism is proposed to regulate endometrial gland morphogenesis and function during pregnancy that involves sequential actions of ovarian steroid hormones, pregnancy recognition signals, and lactogenic hormones from the pituitary or placenta. Disruption of uterine development during critical organizational periods can alter the functional capacity and embryotrophic potential of the adult uterus. These findings reinforce the importance of understanding the mechanisms regulating uterine gland morphogenesis in livestock and humans.
