1983 Volume 48 Issue 2 Pages 313-322
Cytological and cytophotometrical analyses have shown that multipolar mitotic figures and multinucleate cells are present within mouse decidua. These are, moreover, found exclusively within the antimesometrially-situated decidua and contain not only excessive amounts of nuclear DNA (>4c) but also numerous sets of chromosomes (>2n). Thus, during the growth of mouse decidua, multinucleation probably results from a multipolar nuclear division without concomitant cytokinesis; polyploidisation becomes consequential upon multinucleation; and regionalisation can influence the origin of the multinucleate, polyploid condition.