Velicky Philipp, Knöfler Martin, Pollheimer Jürgen
a Department of Obstetrics and Fetal-Maternal Medicine , Reproductive Biology Unit, Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria.
Cell Adh Migr. 2016 Mar 3;10(1-2):154-62. doi: 10.1080/19336918.2015.1089376. Epub 2015 Sep 29.
The establishment of a functional placenta is pivotal for normal fetal development and the maintenance of pregnancy. In the course of early placentation, trophoblast precursors differentiate into highly invasive trophoblast subtypes. These cells, referred to as extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs), penetrate the maternal uterus reaching as far as the inner third of the myometrium. One of the most fundamental functions of EVTs is the transformation of spiral arteries to establish the uteroplacental blood circulation assuring an adequate nutrient and gas supply to the developing fetus. To achieve this, specialized EVT subpopulations interact with maternal immune cells, provoke elastolysis in the arterial wall and replace the endothelial cells lining the spiral arteries to induce intraluminal vascular remodeling. These and other trophoblast-mediated processes are tightly controlled by paracrine signals from the maternal decidua and furthermore underlie an intrinsic cell-type specific program. Various severe pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia or intrauterine growth retardation are associated with abnormal EVT function, shallow invasion, and decreased blood flow to the placenta. Hence a better understanding of human trophoblast invasion seems mandatory to improve therapeutic intervention. This approach, however, requires a profound knowledge of the human placenta, its various trophoblast subtypes and in particular a better understanding of the regulatory network that controls the invasive phenotype of EVTs.
功能性胎盘的建立对于胎儿的正常发育和维持妊娠至关重要。在早期胎盘形成过程中，滋养层前体细胞分化为具有高度侵袭性的滋养层亚型。这些细胞，即绒毛外滋养层细胞（EVT），穿透母体子宫，最远可达子宫肌层的内三分之一处。EVT最基本的功能之一是将螺旋动脉进行改造，以建立子宫胎盘血液循环，确保为发育中的胎儿提供充足的营养和气体供应。为实现这一目标，特定的EVT亚群与母体免疫细胞相互作用，引发动脉壁的弹性蛋白溶解，并取代螺旋动脉内衬的内皮细胞，以诱导管腔内血管重塑。这些以及其他由滋养层介导的过程受到来自母体蜕膜的旁分泌信号的严格控制，并且还基于一种内在的细胞类型特异性程序。各种严重的妊娠并发症，如子痫前期或宫内生长受限，都与EVT功能异常、侵袭浅以及胎盘血流减少有关。因此，为了改善治疗干预，似乎必须更好地了解人类滋养层细胞的侵袭。然而，这种方法需要对人类胎盘、其各种滋养层亚型有深入的了解，特别是要更好地理解控制EVT侵袭表型的调控网络。
