Cellular and molecular systems level analysis of placenta development and function.

在怀孕期间，一个叫做胎盘的器官是由发育中的婴儿制造的。它在怀孕早期形成，因为它在整个怀孕过程中扮演着许多重要的角色。胎盘细胞被称为滋养层细胞，帮助胚胎附着在子宫上，并经历一个称为植入的过程。植入后，胎盘向母亲释放信号，告诉她的身体她怀孕了。验孕是通过检测一些信号来实现的。这些信号会导致母亲的血管发生变化，因此更多的血液将被输送到婴儿成长的地方。来自胎盘的信号也可以防止母亲的免疫系统攻击婴儿。胎盘最重要的作用是喂养婴儿。这是通过将母亲血液中的营养物质转移到婴儿血液中来实现的，而不是两个血液系统混合。怀孕结束后，不再需要胎盘。我的建议问了两个问题：胎盘是如何生长和发育的？胎盘发出和接收的开始和维持妊娠的信号是什么？为了解决这些问题，我将使用可以分离和计数组成胎盘的所有不同细胞的技术。通过测量怀孕期间细胞数量的变化，我可以找到怀孕早期、晚期或整个怀孕过程中所需的细胞种类。通过分离形成胎盘的不同细胞，我可以测量这些不同细胞中的基因表达。这将告诉我细胞是如何相互作用的，胎儿和母亲。这也将告诉我这些细胞可以发送和接收的不同信号。增加我们对胎盘的理解将有助于我们对怀孕和胚胎发育的理解。增加我们对胎盘中使用的细胞和信号的了解，是帮助母亲和她们的婴儿成功怀孕的重要信息。

During pregnancy an organ called the placenta is made by the developing baby. It forms early in pregnancy as it plays many important roles throughout the pregnancy. The placenta cells, called trophoblast, help the embryo to stick to the uterus and undergo a process call implantation. After implantation the placenta releases signals to the mother to tell her body that she is pregnant. Pregnancy tests work by detecting some of signals. These signals cause changes in the mother's blood vessels so that more blood will be sent to where the baby is growing. Signals from the placenta also prevent the mothers immune systems from attacking the baby. The most important role of the placenta is feeding the baby. This is done by transferring nutrients from the mothers blood into the babies blood without the two blood systems mixing. After the pregnancy is over the placenta is no longer needed.My proposal asks two questions: How does the placenta grow and develop? What are the signals that the placenta sends and receives to begin and maintain a pregnancy? To address these questions I will use techniques that can separate and count all the different cells that make up the placenta. By measuring changes in the counts of cells during the pregnancy I can find the kinds of cells that are required early, late or throughout the pregnancy. By isolating the different cells that make the placenta I can measure the expression of genes in these different cells. This will tell me how the cells interact with each other, the foetus and the mother. This will also tell me about the different signals that these cells can send and receive.Increasing our understanding of the placenta will help increase our understanding of pregnancy and embryo development. Increasing our understanding of the cells and the signals used in the placenta is important information for helping mothers and their babies to have successful pregnancies.