Figure 1

Immunofluorescent detection of β-catenin during uterine decidualization. Shown are representative images of total β-catenin immunofluorescent staining in transverse sections of implantation sites obtained on day of pregnancy (DOP) 7.5 (A), decidualized primary human endometrial stromal cells (B) and transverse sections of decidualized uterine tissue from day of pseudopregnancy (DOPP) 6.5 (C, D). Total β-catenin is expressed primarily at the cell surface of decidual stromal cells through the antimesometrial (A, 400X) and mesometrial (data not shown) poles on DOP 7.5, as well as in primary human endometrial stromal cells induced to undergo decidualization (B, 1000X). On DOPP 6.5 β-catenin is abundantly expressed in the stromal deciduum, but was below the level of detection in the myometrium (C, 200X). Immunohistochemistry of dephosphorylated (i.e., active/nuclear) β-catenin was present on DOP 4.5 (E, 400X), but not DOP 7.5 (G, 400X). β-catenin was not detected in control sections stained without primary antibody (D, F, H). Representative micrographs from n = 3-5 independent experiments.