ABSTRACT
Rodents have been used as models for the study of implantation for many years because of the ability to artificially induce and manipulate decidualization. Their use has increased substantially in the last decade, however, because of advances in mouse genetics and experimental embryology.This work has significantly increased our understanding of events after implantation at a molecular level, including the development and functions of the placenta as well as the interactions between trophoblast cells of the placenta and cells within the pregnant uterus. It has become clear that trophoblastendometrial interactions occur not just at the time of embryo implantation but also after implantation and affect a variety of local changes including decidual cell differentiation, vascularization of the decidua, and immune cell activity. In rodents, specialized subtypes of trophoblast cells, called trophoblast giant cells (TGCs) and glycogen trophoblast cells (GlyTCs), are the major cell types mediating postimplantation interactions with the mother. This chapter reviews current approaches that are used to study trophoblast development and trophoblast-endometrial interactions after implantation and describes molecular pathways that underlie them.
