Expression of IFN-α mRNA in the endometrium and fetal placenta in the pre- and
postimplantation stages. The vertical line shows the relative expression levels of mRNA using qRT-PCR,
standardized with the reference gene H2AFZ, whereas the horizontal axis indicates the
stages of pregnancy for (A) IFN-α in IC tissues, (B) IFN-α in C
tissues and (C) IFN-α in P tissues, respectively. IC, intercaruncular endometrium; C,
caruncular endometrium; P, fetal placenta. The numbers 14–18, 25–40, 50–70, 80–100 and 130–150 indicate
the number of days of pregnancy for each subgroup. All data are shown as the mean ± standard error of
the mean (SEM). Letters (P < 0.05) indicate significant differences determined by ANOVA, followed by
the Fisher’s PLSD procedure as the multiple comparison test.