Figure 4

Conditional deletion of Ctnnb1 from the stromal compartment results in failed uterine decidualization. (A) Shown are whole uteri isolated from control (Ctnnb1^flox/flox) and mutant (Amhr2^Cre/+;Ctnnb1^d/d) female mice. (B-E) Histological transverse sections of uteri induced to undergo decidualization for 36 h. Uteri were obtained from intact control (C, E) or mutant (B, D) female mice in which endogenous steroids and pseudopregnancy primed uteri for the deciduogenic response (B, C), or from ovariectomized female mice receiving an exogenous hormone regimen consistent with that of early pregnancy [D, E; two days of E₂ (100 ng s.c. in 100 μl sesame oil), two days no treatment, three days P₄ (1 mg s.c. in 100 μl sesame oil) and one day E₂ + P₄]. Note that while uteri from control mice show clear signs of decidualization at 36 h post-induction (C, E), uteri from mutant mice do not decidualize (B, D). Representative results from n = 4-5 independent experiments.