Oxygen regulates human cytotrophoblast differentiation and invasion: implications for endovascular invasion in normal pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia.
This review article focuses on the unique process by which the human placenta normally forms and how changes in this process can lead to serious pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia. One way to compare normal and pathologic pregnancies is to examine biopsy specimens of the placenta and placental bed for disease-associated morphological changes in cellular architecture. Our recent work has verified the decades-old observation that pre-eclampsia is associated with abnormally shallow placentation. We also discuss how these morphological observations prompted us to use a combination of in vitro modeling and in situ immunolocalization techniques to gain insights into the molecular bases of normal placentation and how these mechanisms go awry in pre-eclampsia.
Zhou
Y
Y
Department of Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA.
Genbacev
O
O
Damsky
C H
CH
Fisher
S J
SJ
D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000502:physiology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010920:Placenta / Q000473:pathology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000502:physiology*; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000502:physiology
D015820:Cadherins; D016023:Integrins; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D010100:Oxygen