Maternal and embryonic gene effects on placental weight in mice.
Placental weight was measured on Days 12 and 18 of pregnancy in a population of mice consisting of two inbred strains and their derived generations. Maternal and embryonic genotypes influenced placental weight, the maternal genotypic effects changing with the stage of pregnancy. Effects of specific maternal and embryonic genotypes are discussed in terms of possible influence on the growth of maternally and embryonically derived placental tissues throughout pregnancy. Genotype-dependent differences in placental weight could not be accounted for simply by the presence or absence of H-2 antigenic differences between mothers and embryos. On Day 18 male embryos had heavier placentae than female embryos. The correlation between embryonic weight and placental weight declined in some mating groups from 12 to 18 days, suggesting differential placental weight loss late in pregnancy.
D000818:Animals; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009929:Organ Size; D010920:Placenta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012737:Sex Factors