Fig 5. Enhanced trophoblast proliferation in Rac1 conditional-knockout mouse.

(A) Expanded trophoblast cells in Rac1^d/d uteri on day 8 of gestation. a: Hematoxylin and Eosin (H & E) staining of uterine sections from Rac1 ^f/f and Rac1 ^d/d mice on day 8 of pregnancy. Three representative images of Rac1^d/d uterine sections are shown. b: Quantitation of embryonic areas in H & E stained uterine sections of Rac1 ^f/f and Rac1 ^d/d mice on day 8 of pregnancy. Data represent mean ± SEM from six separate samples and were analyzed by non-parametric t-test. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences (*P < 0.05). (B) Increased proliferation of trophoblast cells in the ectoplacental cone (EPC) of Rac1^d/d uteri. Uterine sections from Rac1 ^f/f and Rac1 ^d/d mice on days 7 (panels a and b) and 8 of pregnancy (panels c and d) were subjected to IF using PCNA and cytokeratin 8 (KRT8) antibodies. AMD, MD, and E denote antimesometrial decidua, mesometrial decidua, and embryo respectively.