The human placental sexome differs between trophoblast epithelium and villous vessel endothelium.

ABSTRACT: Molecular mechanisms underlying sexual dimorphism in mammals, fetal sex influences on intrauterine development, and the sex-biased susceptibility for selected diseases in adulthood are novel areas of current research. As importantly, two decades of multifaceted research has established that susceptibility to many adult disorders originates in utero, commonly secondary to the effects of placental dysfunction. We hypothesized that fetal sex influences gene expression and produces functional differences in human placentas. We thus extended previous studies on sexual dimorphism in mammals, which used RNA isolated from whole tissues, to investigate the effects of sex on four cell-phenotypes within a single key tissue, human placental villi. The cells studied included cytotrophoblasts, syncytiot

SUBMITTER: Cvitic S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3812163 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature