In the first study of the genomic architecture of the human placenta, scientists have found that the placenta is different from that of other human organs. “Studies support the theory of the placenta as a dumping ground for genetic defects, whereas the fetus corrects or avoids these errors,” the researchers said. sciencefocus.com.
In early pregnancy, a fertilized egg implants into the uterine wall and begins to divide from one cell into many cells. Cells differentiate into different types of cells and some of them form the placenta.
Around the 10th week of pregnancy, the placenta begins to access the mother’s circulation, obtain oxygen and nutrients for the fetus, excrete waste products and regulate important hormones.
Researchers say it has long been known that the placenta is different from other organs of the human body. In 1-2% of pregnancies, some placental cells have a different number of chromosomes from the cells in the fetus – a genetic defect that can be fatal to the fetus, but the placenta often functions normally normally. Despite this, problems with the placenta are a major cause of harm to both mother and unborn baby.
The analysis also identified patterns of specific mutations commonly found in childhood cancers, such as neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, with a higher number of mutations in the placenta than in the cancer itself.
The researchers say that now a link between genetic abnormalities in the placenta and birth outcomes has been established. Further studies using larger sample sizes could help uncover the causes of complications and illnesses that arise during pregnancy.
“The placenta is similar to the ‘Wild West’ of the human genome, very different in structure from other healthy human tissue,” said Sam Behjati, senior author of the study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
“This helps protect us from deficiencies in our genetic code, but still there is a high disease burden associated with the placenta,” he said.
“Our findings provide rationale for studying the relationship between genetic aberrations in the placenta and birth outcomes at the high resolution we applied, and on a large scale,” said Sam. Also read: Karim Benzema Rescuer: Silence Elche, Real Madrid Gusur Barcelona
(iqb)
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