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Volume 28, No 8, Aug 2018

ISSN: 1001-0602 
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018 
impact factor 17.848* 
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)

Volume 28 Issue 8, August 2018: 819-832   |  Open Access

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals the diversity of trophoblast subtypes and patterns of differentiation in the human placenta

Yawei Liu 1, Xiaoying Fan 2, Rui Wang 2, Xiaoyin Lu 1,3, Yan-Li Dang 4, Huiying Wang 5, Hai-Yan Lin 1, Cheng Zhu 1, Hao Ge 2,James C. Cross 6 and Hongmei Wang 1

1 State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 Beijing, China; 2 Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, College of Life Science, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China; 3 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; 4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The 306th Hospital of PLA, 100101 Beijing, China; 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, 100038 Beijing, China and 6 Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada Correspondence: James C. Cross (jcross@ucalgary.ca) or Hongmei Wang (wanghm@ioz.ac.cn)These authors contributed equally: Yawei Liu, Xiaoying Fan, Rui Wang, Xiaoyin Lu

The placenta is crucial for a successful pregnancy and the health of both the fetus and the pregnant woman. However, how the human trophoblast lineage is regulated, including the categorization of the placental cell subtypes is poorly understood. Here we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on sorted placental cells from first- and second-trimester human placentas. New subtypes of cells of the known cytotrophoblast cells (CTBs), extravillous trophoblast cells (EVTs), Hofbauer cells, and mesenchymal stromal cells were identified and cell-type-specific gene signatures were defined. Functionally, this study revealed many previously unknown functions of the human placenta. Notably, 102 polypeptide hormone genes were found to be expressed by various subtypes of placental cells, which suggests a complex and significant role of these hormones in regulating fetal growth and adaptations of maternal physiology to pregnancy. These results document human placental trophoblast differentiation at single-cell resolution and thus advance our understanding of human placentation during the early stage of pregnancy.


https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-018-0066-y

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