Imprinted genes are expressed monoallelically depending on their parental origin. High
expression of the majority of imprinted genes tested to date has been demonstrated in …

A number of placenta-specific genes (eg, Tpbp, Plac1, Syncytin, and retrotransposon-
associated genes such as Peg10, Rtl1, Endothelin B receptor, Insl4, Leptin, Midline1, and …

BACKGROUND Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic gene regulatory mechanism; disruption
of this process during early embryonic development can have major consequences on both …

Epigenetics, and in particular imprinted genes, have a critical role in the development and
function of the placenta, which in turn has a central role in the regulation of fetal growth and …

Trophoblast fusion in the placenta is an event of major importance for the preservation of a
healthy pregnancy. This process takes place throughout pregnancy and is crucial for the …

Syncytin is a membrane protein derived from the envelope gene of an endogenous
retrovirus of the HERV-W family. The gene appears to be almost exclusively expressed in …

The common gestational pathologies are placental and developmental in origin. However,
much remains to be learned about the key events of morphogenesis and growth in the …

Normal pregnancy is associated with the presence of circulating placental microvesicles
(MVs). Increased MV shedding and altered immune activation are seen in patients with …

Recently, the expression of a human endogenous retrovirus HERV-FRD, able to encode a
fusogenic envelope protein (syncytin 2), has been observed in human placenta. The aim of …

Syncytin-1 is a captive envelope glycoprotein encoded by one of human endogenous
retroviruses W. It is expressed exclusively in the placental trophoblast where it participates in …