title: Review: Epithelial aspects of human placental trophoblast.
abstract: The placenta must act as a surrogate lung, gastrointestinal tract and kidney for the fetus as well as acting as an endocrine gland necessary for the maintenance of a successful pregnancy: to achieve this, to what extent does the trophoblast necessarily share a similar epithelial phenotype? Here I review from a historical and a contemporary perspective some relevant studies with an emphasis on the similarities and differences between small intestinal and trophoblast biology. Certain physiological, structural and cell biological similarities are striking.
authors.affiliation: Brasenose College, Oxford OX1 4DJ, UK. richard.boyd@dpag.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: C A R
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Boyd
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008871:Microvilli / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011247:Pregnancy; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure