Inflammation and convergent placenta gene co-option contributed to a novel reproductive tissue.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of pregnancy exposes parental tissues to new, potentially stressful conditions, which can trigger inflammation.¹ Inflammation is costly^2,3 and can induce embryo rejection, which constrains the evolution of pregnancy.¹ In contrast, inflammation can also promote morphological innovation at the maternal-embryonic interface as exemplified by co-option of pro-inflammatory signaling for eutherian embryo implantation.^1,4,5 Given its dual function, inflammation could be a key process explaining how innovations such as pregnancy and placentation evolved many times convergently. Pelvic brooding ricefishes evolved a novel "plug" tissue,^6,7 which

SUBMITTER: Hilgers L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8837275 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature