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Updated: May 26, 2026
12:17
The 4-vessel Sampling Approach to Integrative Studies of Human Placental Physiology In Vivo
Published on: August 2, 2017
Review: The placenta and developmental programming: balancing fetal nutrient demands with maternal resource
1Centre for Trophoblast Research, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK. gjb2@cam.ac.uk
Placenta
|December 14, 2011
Summary
The placenta adapts to increase nutrient transport when nutrient supply or placental size is limited, potentially mitigating developmental programming. These placental adaptations involve structural changes and transporter gene expression.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Developmental biology
- Physiology
Background:
- The placenta's role in fetal development is crucial, particularly its impact on nutrient transfer and developmental programming.
- Placental transport efficiency is influenced by structural factors like surface area, membrane thickness, and transporter protein density.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate placental adaptations in response to experimentally manipulated maternal nutrient supply and fetal demand in mice.
- To understand how placental efficiency changes under conditions of nutrient limitation or altered placental size.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent studies involving experimental manipulation of maternal nutrition and fetal demand in mouse models.
- Analysis of structural changes in placental zones (labyrinth and junctional zones).
- Measurement of nutrient analogue transport and gene expression of specific transporters (System A).
Main Results:
- Maternal undernutrition and naturally small placentas led to accelerated maturation, with increased labyrinth zone and enhanced amino acid transport.
- Genetic manipulation of the Igf2/H19 axis showed up-regulation of transporters when placental size mismatched fetal demand.
- Placental overgrowth (H19 deletion) resulted in decreased transport capacity and transporter gene expression.
Conclusions:
- The mouse placenta adapts to enhance its transport capacity when nutrient supply or placental size is limiting for fetal growth.
- These adaptive mechanisms may ameliorate the effects of environmental factors on developmental programming.
- The Igf2 (Imprinted gene 2) P0 transcript is a potential mediator of these placental adaptations.
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