Description
Placenta development involves complex molecular and cellular interactions between the maternal endometrium and the developing embryo, however, it is not clear what are the precise mechanisms regulating this maternal-fetal crosstalk. Using genetic and cell biological approaches, we have demonstrated that Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1), a maternal factor expressed in decidual cells and is markedly elevated in mouse decidua on days 7 and 8 of gestation, regulates the secretory pathways that mediate stromal-endothelial and stromal-trophoblast crosstalk within a narrow temporal window during placenta development.