BACKGROUND The human female reproductive tract (FRT) is constantly deal with the invading pathogens. Recognition of these pathogens is attributed to the family of Toll like receptors (TLR) as a major part of the innate immune system. We and others have previously revealed that TLRs1-6 express in the female reproductive tract. However, more studies should be done to detect TLRs 7-10 in the femal...

BACKGROUND Malignancies of the female reproductive tract are estimated to be the third most common group of cancers in women. OBJECTIVES We here aimed to present their epidemiological features in Golestan province located in Northeast of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data on primary female reproductive cancers diagnosed between 2004-2010 were obtained from Golestan Population-based Cancer Reg...

Successful fertilization in angiosperms requires the growth of pollen tubes through the female reproductive tract as they seek out unfertilized ovules. In Arabidopsis, the reproductive tract begins with the stigma, where pollen grains initially adhere, and extends through the transmitting tract of the style and ovary. In wild-type plants, cells within the transmitting tract produce a rich extra...

BACKGROUND Secretions within the adult female reproductive tract mediate sperm survival, storage, activation, and selection. Drosophila female reproductive gland secretory cells reside within the adult spermathecae and parovaria, but their development remains poorly characterized. RESULTS With cell-lineage tracing, we found that precursor cells downregulate lozenge and divide stereotypically ...

The vertebrate nuclear hormone receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1; NR5A1) controls reproductive development and regulates the transcription of steroid-modifying cytochrome P450 genes. We find that the SF1-related Drosophila nuclear hormone receptor HR39 is also essential for sexual development. In Hr39 mutant females, the sperm-storing spermathecae and glandular parovaria are absent or defect...

A QTL analysis of female reproductive data from a 3-generation experimental cross between Meishan and Large White pig breeds is presented. Six F(1) boars and 23 F(1) sows, progeny of 6 Large White boars and 6 Meishan sows, produced 502 F(2) gilts whose reproductive tract was collected after slaughter at 30 d of gestation. Five traits [i.e., the total weight of the reproductive tract, of the emp...

Sterile sperm castes are widespread, but their significance remains enigmatic. New experiments on Drosophila pseudoobscura reveal that sterile sperm may promote the survival of fertilising sperm inside the spermicidal female reproductive tract.

Guanylyl cyclase B is the receptor for a small peptide (C-type natriuretic peptide) produced locally in many different tissues. To unravel the functions of the receptor, we generated mice lacking guanylyl cyclase B through gene targeting. Expression of the receptor mRNA in tissues such as bone and female reproductive organs was evident, and significant phenotypes associated with each of these t...

In internally fertilizing organisms, mating involves a series of highly coordinated molecular interactions between the sexes that occur within the female reproductive tract. In species where females mate multiply, traits involved in postcopulatory interactions are expected to evolve rapidly, potentially leading to postmating-prezygotic (PMPZ) reproductive isolation between diverging populations...

Secretory IgA (S-IgA) mediates local immunity to influenza virus in the murine upper respiratory tract and may play an important role in local immunity to various microorganisms in the female reproductive tract as well. Although the presence of IgA in cervicovaginal or uterine secretions has been correlated with immunity to a number of pathogens, there has been no direct demonstration of the me...