Grant: Project Grant

The placenta is essential to pregnancy as it transports nutrients and oxygen to the fetus in the womb. The placenta also performs other essential functions, such as helping the mother's immune system to accept the pregnancy. Cells of the placenta are in contact with the maternal bloodstream, providing important hormones to maintain a successful pregnancy. In our research groups, we have found that small RNAs play important roles in helping the placenta grow. We have also observed that the small RNAs are secreted into the maternal blood, where they can affect the mother's cells. The loss of the small RNAs in mice can lead to growth restrictions and immune imbalance during pregnancy. In humans, low levels of small RNAs from the placenta can also affect fetal growth. We propose to identify how these small RNAs help pregnancy by aiding in placenta growth and function as well as in the mother by stopping her immune system from attacking the pregnancy as foreign.