A pair of co-opted retroviral envelope syncytin genes is required for formation of the two-layered murine placental syncytiotrophoblast.

ABSTRACT: In most mammalian species, a critical step of placenta development is the fusion of trophoblast cells into a multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast layer fulfilling essential fetomaternal exchange functions. Key insights into this process came from the discovery of envelope genes of retroviral origin, the syncytins, independently acquired by the human (syncytin-1 and -2), mouse (syncytin-A and -B), and rabbit (syncytin-Ory1) genomes, with fusogenic properties and placenta-specific expression. We previously showed that mouse syncytin-A is essential for the formation of one of the two syncytiotrophoblast layers and for embryo survival. Here, we have generated syncytin-B KO mice and demonstrate that syncytin-B null placenta displays impaired formation of syncytiotrophoblast layer II (ST-II), with

SUBMITTER: Dupressoir A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3219115 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature