Gene Expression Profiling of Placenta from Normal to Pathological Pregnancies

Abstract

The placenta is a unique temporary organ essential for growth of the fetus, which determines the success of pregnancy. Its originality relies on a combination of nutritive, endo-crine and immunological functions that control maternal immune tolerance to fetus. In the present chapter, we review gene expression programs of placenta from placenta tissue to isolated cells using high throughput transcriptomic approach. Beside trophoblasts, we focused on immune cells including macrophages, dendritic cells and mast cells. From the gene expression signatures, we identify key pathways for the different trimesters of the normal pregnancy and pathological alterations including preeclampsia and gesta-tional diabetes mellitus.