The Role of Leptin in Placental Development

描述（由申请人提供）：胎盘发育是一个复杂的过程，涉及多种细胞类型之间的相互作用，并可能受到妊娠期间母体营养的影响。此外，成人疾病的胎儿起源假说认为，孕妇在怀孕期间的营养对胎儿未来的成人健康有影响。支持这一建议的假设是，激素瘦素影响胎盘发育过程中的多个步骤。瘦素是由脂肪细胞产生的，因此是营养对胎盘发育影响的潜在介质。在这个建议的指导阶段，第一个具体目标是确定瘦素在着床前发育过程中滋养层细胞特化中的作用。这些实验将定位瘦素在早期胚胎，并确定是否瘦素的分布所需的滋养层细胞的形成。第二个目的是确定瘦素诱导的滋养细胞侵袭的机制。这些实验将探讨细胞信号通路和基因表达的变化，瘦素刺激滋养层细胞的入侵。在独立阶段的建议，第一个具体的目标是确定是否瘦素介导的影响，营养对胎儿和胎盘编程。动物将被置于限制饮食，有或没有瘦素治疗，并确定对胎盘发育和成年肥胖的影响。第二个具体目标是确定瘦素对胎盘细胞类型分化的影响。滋养层干细胞将用于研究瘦素在巨细胞、合体滋养层细胞和海绵滋养层细胞类型分化中的作用。我的目标是建立一个独立的生殖生物学实验室，研究母体环境对胎盘发育的影响。这笔赠款将提供一个机会，在胎盘生物学的领先实验室进行特定技术和更广泛的科学问题的培训，并使我能够在这个实验室进行独立的研究。拟议的项目至少在两个方面与人类健康有关。首先，滋养细胞浸润不足与先兆子痫有关，先兆子痫是妊娠最常见的并发症，也是致命的。本项目将研究对滋养层细胞侵袭的影响之一。其次，这个项目将增加我们对怀孕期间母亲营养可能影响胎盘发育甚至成人健康的方式的理解。;

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Placental development is a complex process that involves interactions among multiple cell types and may be affected by maternal nutrition during pregnancy. Further, the fetal origin of adult disease hypothesis posits that maternal nutrition during pregnancy has consequences for the future adult health of the fetus. The hypothesis underlying this proposal is that the hormone leptin influences multiple steps in the process of placental development. Leptin is produced by fat cells, and thus is a potential mediator of the effects of nutrition on placental development. In the mentored phase of this proposal, the first specific aim is to determine the role of leptin in trophoblast cell specification during preimplantation development. These experiments will localize leptin in the early embryo and determine whether the distribution of leptin is required for trophoblast cells to form. The second aim is to determine the mechanism of leptin-induced trophoblast invasiveness. These experiments will explore the cell signaling pathways and changes in gene expression that underlie leptin stimulation of trophoblast invasion. In the independent phase of this proposal, the first specific aim is to determine whether leptin mediates effects of nutrition on fetal and placental programming. Animals will be placed on a restricted diet with or without leptin treatment, and the effects on placental development and adult adiposity determined. The second specific aim is to determine effects of leptin on placental cell type differentiation. Trophoblast stem cells will be used to study the role of; leptin in the differentiation of giant cell, syncytiotrophoblast cell, and spongiotrophoblast cell types. My goal is to establish an independent laboratory in reproductive biology to pursue research on the effects of maternal environment on placental development. This grant would provide an opportunity for training in specific techniques and broader scientific questions in a leading laboratory in placental biology, and would allow me to pursue an independent line of research in this laboratory. The proposed project is relevant to human health in at least two ways. First, insufficient trophoblast invasion is associated with pre-eclampsia, the most common complication of pregnancy, and one which can be fatal. This project will examine one of the influences on trophoblast invasion. Second, this project will increase our understanding of the ways in which maternal nutrition during pregnancy, may influence placental development, and even adult health. ;