Origin of the multinucleate decidual cell of the mouse.

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.