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Epigenesis and plasticity of mouse trophoblast stem cells

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Abstract

The critical role of the placenta in supporting a healthy pregnancy is mostly ensured by the extraembryonic trophoblast lineage that acts as the interface between the maternal and the foetal compartments. The diverse trophoblast cell subtypes that form the placenta originate from a single layer of stem cells that emerge from the embryo when the earliest cell fate decisions are occurring. Recent studies show that these trophoblast stem cells exhibit extensive plasticity as they are capable of differentiating down multiple pathways and are easily converted into embryonic stem cells in vitro. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of the mechanisms and control of the epigenesis of mouse trophoblast stem cells through a comparison with the corresponding mechanisms in pluripotent embryonic stem cells. To illustrate some of the more striking manifestations of the epigenetic plasticity of mouse trophoblast stem cells, we discuss them within the context of two paradigms of epigenetic regulation of gene expression: the imprinted gene expression of specific loci and the process of X-chromosome inactivation.

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Acknowledgments

We apologise to the authors who have contributed to related studies or aspects of trophoblast stem cell plasticity that could not be addressed here due to the format restrictions of the review. We thank Dr. Graham Hayhurst for critical reading of the manuscript. J.P. was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the Région Ile-de-France (DIM-StemPôle), and by a grant from the REVIVE Labex. CM is supported on a permanent basis by the French National Institute for Scientific and Medical Research (INSERM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire Murine, Institut Pasteur, 75015, Paris, France

    Julie Prudhomme

  2. CNRS, UMR7216 Epigenetics and Cell Fate, 75013, Paris, France

    Céline Morey

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  1. Julie Prudhomme
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  2. Céline Morey
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Correspondence to Céline Morey.

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Prudhomme, J., Morey, C. Epigenesis and plasticity of mouse trophoblast stem cells. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 73, 757–774 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-015-2086-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-015-2086-9

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