ADAM12-directed ectodomain shedding of E-cadherin potentiates trophoblast fusion.

ABSTRACT: Trophoblasts, placental cells of epithelial lineage, undergo extensive differentiation to form the cellular components of the placenta. Trophoblast progenitor cell differentiation into the multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast is a key developmental process required for placental function, where defects in syncytiotrophoblast formation and turnover associate with placental pathologies and link to poor pregnancy outcomes. The cellular and molecular processes governing syncytiotrophoblast formation are poorly understood, but require the activation of pathways that direct cell fusion. The protease, A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12), controls cell fusion in myoblasts and is highly expressed in the placenta localizing to multiple trophoblast populations. However, the importance of AD

SUBMITTER: Aghababaei M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4816105 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature