Embryo arrest and reactivation: potential candidates controlling embryonic diapause in the tammar wallaby and mink

Abstract

Embryonic diapause is a period of developmental arrest which requires coordination of a molecular cross-talk between the endometrium and blastocyst to ensure a successful reactivation, but the exact mechanisms are undefined. The objectives of this study were to screen the tammar blastocyst for potential diapause control factors and to investigate the potential for members of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family to coordinate reactivation. A select number of factors were also examined in the mink to determine whether their expression patterns were conserved across diapause species. The full-length sequences of the tammar genes of interest were first cloned to establish their level of sequ..