Kahn Lab

Placental Development and Hematopoiesis

The placenta supports fetal growth during development.

The placenta is a highly vascularized organ with maternal and fetal parts that is critical for promoting fetal growth during gestation. Defects in placental development can result in embryonic defects or even death. In humans, diseases such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction are associated with placental dysfunction. We are currently investigating mechanisms of placental development by creating new genetic tools.

See the below recent publications related to this project:

Mouse placenta fetal macrophages arise from endothelial cells outside the placenta

Chen et al. Developmental Cell, 2022. https://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/fulltext/S1534-5807(22)00782-1

VE-cadherin enables trophoblast endovascular invasion and spiral artery remodeling during placental development

Sung et al. eLife, 2022. https://elifesciences.org/articles/77241

Endothelial MEKK3-KLF2/4 signaling integrates inflammatory and hemodynamic signals during definitive hematopoiesis

Yang et al. Blood, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2021013934