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Updated: Oct 30, 2025
Transcriptional Analysis by Nascent RNA FISH of In Vivo Trophoblast Giant Cells or In Vitro Short-term Cultures of Ectoplacental Cone Explants
Published on: August 31, 2016
Dissecting human trophoblast cell transcriptional heterogeneity in preeclampsia using single-cell RNA sequencing
Tao Zhang1, Qianqian Bian2, Yanchun Chen3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Objective:
PE is a pregnancy-specific syndrome that affects 3%-5% of pregnant women. It often presents as new-onset hypertension and proteinuria during the third trimester. PE progresses rapidly and may lead to serious complications, including the death of both mother and fetus. In low-income countries, PE is one of the main causes of maternal and child mortality. While the cause of PE is still debated, clinical and pathological studies suggest that the placenta plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PE.
Materials And Methods:
In this single-cell RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) study, the placenta was taken from the designated position after cesarean section. We compared placental cell subsets and their transcriptional heterogeneity between preeclampsia and healthy pregnancies using the single-cell RNA-seq technology. A developmental trajectory of human trophoblasts was shown.
Results:
Gene expression in endoplasmic reticulum signaling pathways in syncytiotrophoblast was upregulated in the PE group. The villi cytotrophoblasts (VCT) and extravillous trophoblasts were mainly involved in immune responses.
Conclusion:
The placental immune function of patients with PE was altered. Proteasomes, spliceosomes, ribosomes, and mitochondria were abnormally active in the new VCT cell type.
