Fetal liver programming induced by placental endocrine malfunction
The placenta acts as an interface between the mother and fetus, regulating nutrient transport and secreting hormones which impact maternal metabolism. Complications during pregnancy, such as placental endocrine malfunction, programme offspring to develop metabolic disease during adulthood, in part via changes in gene expression in critical metabolic organs, such as the liver, during fetal development. Placental endocrine malfunction was induced via the misexpression of two imprinted genes (Igf2 and H19) exclusively in the endocrine zone of the mouse placenta, to study the consequences this has on fetal hepatic gene expression.