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Universal assembly instructions for the placenta

Our understanding of how mammalian embryos develop is based largely on mice. A study now reveals striking similarities and intriguing differences between mouse, cow and human embryos.
  1. Jennifer L. Watts

    1. Jennifer L. Watts is in the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Training Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA, and in the Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Program, Michigan State University.

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  2. Amy Ralston

    1. Amy Ralston is in the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Training Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA, and in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University.

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The placenta is a defining feature of being a mammal, and its formation is one of the first steps in mammalian development. The embryo begins to make its placenta without direct guidance from its mother — rather, it follows a set of molecularly encoded, do-it-yourself assembly instructions. Whether these instructions are universal or unique to each species of mammal is a long-standing mystery. Writing in Nature, Gerri et al.1 report a remarkable similarity in how mouse, cow and human embryos make their placentas.

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Nature 587, 370-371 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02914-0

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