Mechanical and signaling mechanisms that guide pre-implantation embryo movement

How a mammalian embryo determines and arrives at its attachment site has been studied for decades but our understanding of this process is far from complete. Using confocal imaging and image analysis, we evaluate embryo location along the longitudinal oviductal-cervical axis of murine uteri. Our analysis reveals three distinct pre-implantation phases: a) Embryo entry; b) Unidirectional movement of embryo clusters; and c) Bidirectional scattering and spacing of embryos. We show that unidirectional clustered movement is facilitated by a mechanical stimulus of the embryo and is regulated by adrenergic uterine smooth muscle contractions. Embryo scattering, on the other hand, depends on embryo-uterine communication reliant on the LPAR3 signaling pathway and is independent of adrenergic muscle contractions. Finally, we demonstrate that uterine implantation sites in mice are neither random nor predetermined but are guided by the number of embryos entering the uterine lumen. These studies have implications for understanding how embryo-uterine communication is key to determining an optimal implantation site necessary for the success of a pregnancy.