BioProject

The placenta serves as the structural interface for nutrient and waste exchange for proper fetal development. More...

The placenta serves as the structural interface for nutrient and waste exchange for proper fetal development. Although defects in placental function result in various placental disorders, molecular mechanisms orchestrating placental development and function are poorly understood. Gene targeting studies have shown that Hgf or c-Met KO embryos exhibit growth retardation and markedly smaller size of the placenta, and die by E14.5. Stem/progenitor cells in various tissues express c-Met and they participate in morphogenesis and tissue repair. Thus, we hypothesized that the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway is essential for the emergence, proliferation, and/or differentiation of putative stem/precursor cells of labyrinth trophoblasts at the midgestation stage. To examine the downstream mechanisms of HGF/c-Met signaling pathway that regulate placental labyrinth development, we performed microarray analysis and compared the transcriptional profiles of wild-type and c-Met g-KO placentas. The highly enriched gene ontology categories among the transcripts that were down-regulated in the mutant placentas were related to cell cycle, transcription, and placenta development. Surprisingly, the most highly enriched GO category among the up-regulated genes was immune response. Furthermore, genes classified as “unsaturated fatty acid metabolic process” were also significantly enriched among the up-regulated genes. This expression data suggested that HGF/c-Met signaling pathway positively regulates progression of cell cycle and transcription of placenta specific genes, and negatively regulates inflammatory reaction and fatty acids synthesis in the trophoblasts, thereby coordinating many critical cellular processes in the placenta. Overall design: Freshly harvested mouse placental trophoblast was enriched for CD9 from wild -type and c-Met KO placenta with 2 independent biological replicates Less...