Fig. 6. Pregnancies in Dprp-null mice are vulnerable to maternal hypoxia. (A) Determination of the ontogeny of decidual PRL family expression by RT-PCR analysis. (B) Exposure of pregnant females to hypobaric hypoxia (equivalent of 11% oxygen) from days 5.5 to 11.5 of gestation. After day 11.5, the animals were returned to ambient conditions and examined on day 17.5 of gestation. (C,D) Gross appearance of a representative uterus from pregnant wild-type (+/+) and Dprp-null (-/-) mice exposed to hypoxia. (E) Quantification of pregnancy outcomes in wild-type (+/+; n=19) and Dprp-null mutant (-/-; n=10) mice exposed to hypoxia. Numbers of healthy and dying/resorbed conceptuses are significantly different between wild-type and Dprp-null mutant pregnancies; P<0.01. Note that unlike wild-type pregnant female mice, Dprp-null pregnant female mice do not adapt effectively to hypoxia.