Immunological studies of mouse decidual cells. II. Studies of cells in artificially induced decidua

Cells from artificially induced decidual tissue (deciduoma) in the mouse were examined for Thy-1 surface antigen and receptors for the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G (FcR) and compared with cells of the normal decidua from day 6 to day 9 of pregnancy. It was shown that (1) Thy-1 antigen is present on the same proportion of cells in decidua and deciduoma on day 6 and day 7, (2) FcR-bearing cells can be detected in similar numbers on day 6 and day 7 but this does not increase on day 8 in deciduoma as it does in decidua, and (3) progesterone treatment after induction of decidualization allowed further increase of FcR-bearing cells in deciduoma. These results present further evidence of the similarity between deciduoma and decidua in the mouse. They indicate that these two membrane markers are present in the early decidua, regardless of the presence of an embryo, and suggest that progesterone may play a part in the increase of FcR-bearing cells in the decidua during pregnancy.