315. HOMEOBOX GENES ARE DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED IN PRIMARY VILLOUS AND EXTRAVILLOUS TROPHOBLAST CELL LINEAGES DURING EARLY PREGNANCY

Abstract

During human placental development trophoblast cells differentiate along either the villous cytotrophoblast (VCT) lineage to form the syncytiotrophoblast (ST) or the invasive extravillous cytotrophoblast (EVCT) lineage (1). Abnormalities in early differentiation processes are characteristic of poor placentation, which is associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and pre-eclampsia (PE), the major clinical complications of human pregnancy (2). A large family of homeobox gene transcription factors controls “cell-fate decisions” during development (3), but the expression profile and role of homeobox genes in the human trophoblast cell lineages is not well understood. The aim of the study wa..