Induction of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase in the mouse endometrium during implantation

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is expressed in trophoblasts and defends the conceptus against rejection by reducing the tryptophan level and suppressing the T cell activity. We isolated a cDNA for tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), another key catabolizing enzyme of tryptophan, from a mouse uterus cDNA library enriched with pregnancy-induced genes. Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses demonstrated that the TDO mRNA was induced in the decidualized stromal cells around the implanted embryo at the time of implantation. The expression was then upregulated and primarily localized at the mesometrial decidua. TDO mRNA was induced by deciduoma formation as well as embryo transfer but not by ovarian steroid hormones. These findings demonstrated that TDO is induced in the endometrial stromal cells concomitant with decidualization and suggested its involvement in the implantation process by regulating the tryptophan level at the implantation site.