The female reproductive tract must resist microbial infections as well as support embryonic
development, implantation and placentation. Reproductive tract mucins, in general, and
Muc1/episialin, in particular, play key roles in implantation related events and in protection
from microbial infection. High levels of mucin expression in the lower reproductive tract
presumably affords protection against infection while down-regulation of uterine mucins has
been suggested to provide access to the uterine surface. The present studies demonstrate …