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Spanish researchers participated in the publication of a complete and detailed cellular atlas of the interface between the mother and the fetus during the first trimester of pregnancy.
| At the beginning of pregnancy, the uterine lining is transformed into decidua in which the fetal placenta is implanted and where the placental trophoblast cells mix and communicate with the maternal cells. Trophoblastic-deciduous interactions are at the origin of common diseases of pregnancy, including preeclampsia and stillbirth . We report here the transcriptomes of about 70,000 individual cells of first-trimester placentas with a pair of paired maternal and maternal cells. The cellular composition of human deciduella reveals subsets of perivascular and stromal cells located in different decidual layers. There are three main subgroups of natural deciduous killer cells with distinctive immunomodulatory and chemokine profiles. We developed a ligand-receptor complex deposition and a statistical tool to predict the cell-type specificity of cell-cell communication through these molecular interactions. Our data identify many regulatory interactions that avoid adverse innate or adaptive immune responses in this environment. Our unicellular atlas of the mother-fetus interface reveals the cellular organization of the decidus and placenta, as well as the essential interactions for placentation and reproductive success. |
Scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Newcastle and the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) publish this week on the cover of the journal Nature the most detailed cellular map to date of the area of contact between a mother and her future child. This atlas of cellular composition indicates possible solutions to avoid the most common early problems and to achieve a pregnancy without complications.
Researchers, including the Spanish brothers Roser and Miquel Vento-Tormo, have successfully mapped more than 70,000 transcriptomes (transcribed DNA) of healthy cells collected between the 6th and 14th week of gestation, using complex bioinformatics and genomic techniques.
"The idea was to understand the mechanisms that occur during the first trimester of an uncomplicated pregnancy.Thus, we created a reference map of all cells and their interactions to compare in the future differences between a healthy pregnancy and one that causes problems, "says Roser Vento-Tormo, Wellcome Sanger Institute, SINC [19659014]" We discovered what genes alter maternal immunity and allow the correct development of fetus ", explains Roser Vento
The badysis concerns the first trimester, because it is a crucial moment for the survival of the embryo (and the subsequent fetus). fetal cells of the placenta – which interact with those of the mother to modify their immune response – form and try to avoid a situation of rejection.
Thanks to them, the embryo reaches adhere to the & # 39;. uterus in the decidua, which is the innermost layer of the & # 39; pregnant uterus s & # 39; thickens to promote & # 39; implantation. In addition, it is used to feed and oxygenate the fetus in the coming months.
"For the first time in history, we have been able to observe which genes are active in the cells that make up the decidual and placenta, thus discovering which genes are the ones that modify the maternal immune system and allow the correct development of the fetus. "said Vento.
Less complications
The risk of complications during pregnancy is higher during the first weeks, when the fetus is not yet consolidated. In fact, two miscarriages occur spontaneously during the first trimester.
Vento points out that, for the moment, the study is only focused on understanding a healthy pregnancy. However, "in the future, we will be able to predict if there is some kind of alteration in early pregnancy, by badyzing patient samples".
Muzlifah Haniffa, researcher at Newcastle University, adds that these findings "will have important implications for understanding better what happens when a pregnant woman suffers from preeclampsia or even when a miscarriage occurs product. "
In the future, experts will be able to predict whether there is any type of alteration at the beginning of pregnancy
For experts, this result is It is also important in cancer studies because it is known that tumor cells use similar mechanisms to escape the immune system, feed the blood stream and increase its size.
A database ] open access
The results were obtained through the creation of a tool to develop Lada in collaboration with Miquel Vento Tormo and his team from the Spanish software development company YDEVS.
This database, called CellPhoneDB, collects information on molecules and their interactions, as well as on the prediction of interactions. most likely cell phones. According to Roser Vento, "this tool can be applied to any fabric." Together with my brother Miquel, we made it available to all. "
Cellular Map of the Human Body [19659013] This study is part of the Human Cell Atlas initiative, an international consortium led by Sara Teichmann, one of the leading publishers and also a researcher at the Wellcome Institute. Sanger
"With this initiative, we intend to create a complete reference map of all human cells to better diagnose diseases," concludes Vento.
Bibliographic reference :
R. Vento-Tormo et al. "Monocellular reconstruction of the early mother-fetus interface in humans", Nature November 2018: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0698-6
