ArticlePlacenta2009
Evidence for transcriptional activity in the syncytiotrophoblast of the human placenta.
Article in Placenta, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- Advantages, limitations, and innovative considerations for established and emerging models of human placental syncytiotrophoblast.Human reproduction update · 2026Review
- Potentially causal associations between placental DNA methylation and schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The Molecular Biology of Placental Transport of Calcium to the Human Foetus.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- TFEB controls expression of human syncytins during cell-cell fusion.Genes & development · 2024Article
- Trophoblast Organoids: Capturing the Complexity of Early Placental Development In Vitro.Organoids · 2024Article
- Single-nucleus multi-omic profiling of human placental syncytiotrophoblasts identifies cellular trajectories during pregnancy.Nature genetics · 2024Article
- Connecting G protein-coupled estrogen receptor biomolecular mechanisms with the pathophysiology of preeclampsia: a review.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2023Review
- Potentially causal associations between placental DNA methylation and schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2023Article
- How trophoblasts fuse: an in-depth look into placental syncytiotrophoblast formation.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2022Review
- Infections at the maternal-fetal interface: an overview of pathogenesis and defence.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2022Review
- Apelin, APJ, and ELABELA: Role in Placental Function, Pregnancy, and Foetal Development-An Overview.Cells · 2021Review
- Inflammasome signaling in human placental trophoblasts regulates immune defense against Listeria monocytogenes infection.The Journal of experimental medicine · 2021Article
- Placental mitochondrial dysfunction with metabolic diseases: Therapeutic approaches.Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular basis of disease · 2021Review
- Single-nucleus RNA-seq and FISH identify coordinated transcriptional activity in mammalian myofibers.Nature communications · 2020Article
- Tracking placental development in health and disease.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2020Review
- Histone deacetylase 1 and 2 drive differentiation and fusion of progenitor cells in human placental trophoblasts.Cell death & disease · 2020Article
- Placenta-Specific Genes, Their Regulation During Villous Trophoblast Differentiation and Dysregulation in Preterm Preeclampsia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Article
- Relevance of the Materno-Fetal Interface for the Induction of Antigen-Specific Immune Tolerance.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Review
- The Role of Epigenetics in Placental Development and the Etiology of Preeclampsia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2019Review
- The Density of Cell Nuclei at the Materno-Fetal Exchange Barrier is Sexually Dimorphic in Normal Placentas, but not in IUGR.Scientific reports · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The aim was to test for evidence of transcriptional activity within the nuclei of the syncytiotrophoblast of the human placenta. The syncytiotrophoblast forms the epithelial covering of the villous tree, and is a multinucleated, terminally-differentiated syncytium generated through fusion of the underlying progenitor cytotrophoblast cells. Its nuclei are heterogeneous with respect to chromatin condensation, and previous functional studies of 3H-uridine uptake in vitro have indicated that they are transcriptionally inactive. This observation is surprising given the key roles this tissue plays in active transport, hormone synthesis and metabolic regulation, and has widespread implications for trophoblast physiology and pathophysiology. We used three different approaches to look for evidence of transcriptional activity. First, immunofluorescence staining was performed on paraffin-embedded early pregnancy and term placental villi, using an antibody directed specifically against the actively transcribing form of RNA polymerase II. Second, a nucleoside incorporation assay was applied to placental villi maintained in short-term culture, with and without the transcription blocker alpha-amanitin. Third, histone modifications associated with active chromatin were identified by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Each of these methods showed transcription to be occurring in a proportion of syncytiotrophoblast nuclei, with qualitative evidence for transcription being more abundant in the first trimester than at term. These findings correlated with electron microscopical observations of prominent nucleoli within the nuclei, particularly during early pregnancy, signifying transcription of ribosomal RNA. Contrary to previous findings, these results confirm that a proportion of syncytiotrophoblast nuclei actively produce mRNA transcripts.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.