Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Jeffrey Good
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Division of Biological Sciences
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Understanding the role of maternal-fetal tissue communication in the evolution of genomic imprinting and disruption of placental development
Ashlin Slanger¹, John Statz¹, Fernando Rodriguez¹, Jeff Good¹
¹Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana
The placenta is a fast-evolving organ in mammals and has been hypothesized to be a hotspot for the evolution of genomic imprinting. Imprinted expression is a form of gene regulation by which some genes show parent-of-origin dependent allelic expression bias and is critical for successful mammalian development. Studies of placental gene expression in hybridizations between mouse species have shown disruption of placental expression in several genes including a subset of imprinted genes, consistent with a role in the emergence of reproductive incompatibilities between species. Three of the genes that show imprinted and disrupted expression levels in hybrids (Erv3, Mfap5, and Edn2) are preferentially expressed in the endocrine layer of the placenta and code for signaling proteins associated with maternal immunomodulation, making them candidates for the regulation of communication between maternal and fetal tissues. We designed an in situ hybridization experiment to gain insights into the role of these genes during development with the goal to explore the genetic placental disruption in hybrid crosses. We compared spatiotemporal patterns of placental expression of the three candidate genes in interspecies hybrids to control (non-hybrid) mice at three developmental time points of mouse embryonic development. To test the hypothesis that these genes participate in the regulation of maternal-fetal communication, we are comparing spatiotemporal expression patterns between these candidate genes and the prolactin gene (Prl3a1) known to be expressed in the endocrine layer of the placenta and mediate maternal-fetal communication during mice placental development. We are currently analyzing samples from our control cross using in situ hybridization and sampling additional tissues from interspecies hybrids. This study will provide novel insights into the role of imprinted expression in modulating maternal-fetal communication in the placenta, advancing the current understanding of placental biology and its role in the origin of species.
Category
Life Sciences
Understanding the role of maternal-fetal tissue communication in the evolution of genomic imprinting and disruption of placental development
UC South Ballroom
Understanding the role of maternal-fetal tissue communication in the evolution of genomic imprinting and disruption of placental development
Ashlin Slanger¹, John Statz¹, Fernando Rodriguez¹, Jeff Good¹
¹Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana
The placenta is a fast-evolving organ in mammals and has been hypothesized to be a hotspot for the evolution of genomic imprinting. Imprinted expression is a form of gene regulation by which some genes show parent-of-origin dependent allelic expression bias and is critical for successful mammalian development. Studies of placental gene expression in hybridizations between mouse species have shown disruption of placental expression in several genes including a subset of imprinted genes, consistent with a role in the emergence of reproductive incompatibilities between species. Three of the genes that show imprinted and disrupted expression levels in hybrids (Erv3, Mfap5, and Edn2) are preferentially expressed in the endocrine layer of the placenta and code for signaling proteins associated with maternal immunomodulation, making them candidates for the regulation of communication between maternal and fetal tissues. We designed an in situ hybridization experiment to gain insights into the role of these genes during development with the goal to explore the genetic placental disruption in hybrid crosses. We compared spatiotemporal patterns of placental expression of the three candidate genes in interspecies hybrids to control (non-hybrid) mice at three developmental time points of mouse embryonic development. To test the hypothesis that these genes participate in the regulation of maternal-fetal communication, we are comparing spatiotemporal expression patterns between these candidate genes and the prolactin gene (Prl3a1) known to be expressed in the endocrine layer of the placenta and mediate maternal-fetal communication during mice placental development. We are currently analyzing samples from our control cross using in situ hybridization and sampling additional tissues from interspecies hybrids. This study will provide novel insights into the role of imprinted expression in modulating maternal-fetal communication in the placenta, advancing the current understanding of placental biology and its role in the origin of species.