Variable DAXX gene methylation is a common feature of Placental trophoblast differentiation, preeclampsia, and response to hypoxia

Abstract

Placental functioning relies on the appropriate differentiation of progenitor villous cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) into extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVCTs), including invasive EVCTs, and the multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast (ST) layer. This is accompanied by a general move away from a proliferative, immature phenotype. Genome-scale expression studies have provided valuable insight into genes that are associated with the shift to both an invasive EVCT and ST phenotype, whereas genome-scale DNA methylation analysis has shown that differentiation to ST involves wide spread methylation shifts, which are counter acted by low oxygen. In the current study, we sought to identify DNA methylation varia..