Rossant J, Cross J C
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X5.
Nat Rev Genet. 2001 Jul;2(7):538-48. doi: 10.1038/35080570.
The placenta is the first organ to form during mammalian embryogenesis. Problems in its formation and function underlie many aspects of early pregnancy loss and pregnancy complications in humans. Because the placenta is critical for survival, it is very sensitive to genetic disruption, as reflected by the ever-increasing list of targeted mouse mutations that cause placental defects. Recent studies of mouse mutants with disrupted placental development indicate that signalling interactions between the placental trophoblast and embryonic cells have a key role in placental morphogenesis. Furthering our understanding of mouse trophoblast development should provide novel insights into human placental function.
胎盘是哺乳动物胚胎发育过程中形成的首个器官。其形成和功能方面的问题是人类早期妊娠丢失和妊娠并发症诸多方面的基础。由于胎盘对生存至关重要，它对基因破坏非常敏感，这体现在导致胎盘缺陷的靶向小鼠突变的清单不断增加上。最近对胎盘发育受阻的小鼠突变体的研究表明，胎盘滋养层细胞与胚胎细胞之间的信号相互作用在胎盘形态发生中起关键作用。加深我们对小鼠滋养层细胞发育的理解应能为人类胎盘功能提供新的见解。
