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pubmed:abstractText |
An implantation-competent blastocyst, several hours prior to its attachment on the uterine wall, transmits signals to surrounding uterine cells and vice-versa to initiate a two-way interaction. The language of this precocious dialogue is versatile, taking advantage of secreted molecules for long-range interactions and membrane-bound molecules for more immediate interactions. Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) was identified as an early messenger of implantation which uses both modes of communication. In this review, we discuss the footprint of HB-EGF as to how it was initially identified as a mediator of implantation and how it initiates embryo-uterine interactions during this process.
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pubmed:affiliation |
Department of Biomedical Science & Technology, Research Center for Drugs, IBST, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Kwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-701 Korea. hlim@konkuk.ac.kr
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pubmed:publicationType |
Journal Article,
Review,
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't,
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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