title: Calcium signaling in placenta.
abstract: The placenta sustains the developing fetus throughout gestation and its major functions include nutrition, gas and waste exchange via a variety of passive or active mechanisms. Up to 30 g of calcium (Ca(2+)) actively crosses the trophoblast layer during human pregnancy. The Ca(2+) ion not only plays an important role for skeletal development but is also an essential second messenger. This review is intended to highlight the implications of Ca(2+) signaling during reproduction and specifically placentation. Initially, a Ca(2+) wave induces fertilization of the oocyte. The intracellular Ca(2+) concentration is key for the blastocyst implantation, proper placental development and function. Current knowledge of many proteins involved in placental Ca(2+) regulation and their function in pathologic conditions is largely limited. Recent studies, however, point to alterations in Ca(2+) homeostasis in placental pathologies such as pre-eclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). A broader understanding of the role of Ca(2+) signaling during human reproduction may offer insight into impaired pregnancy outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Women's and Infants' Health (RCWIH) at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. baczyk@lunenfeld.ca
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baczyk
authors.forename: John C P
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kingdom
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uhlén
mesh_terms: D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010929:Placentation; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium