胎盘的表观遗传学与小于胎龄儿的关系

Association between epigenetics in placenta and small for gestational age

胎盘对子宫内胎儿的生长和发育起着至关重要的作用,其形态或功能的异常都可能会导致母体和胎儿一些疾病的发生,例如先兆子痫、妊娠滋养层病变、胎儿生长受限等。越来越多的研究表明,表观遗传调控在胎盘的发育中占据重要的地位,并与小于胎龄儿(SGA)的发生有关。表观遗传调控主要从DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码RNAs调控这几个方面来改变胎盘基因的表达。

The placenta is of utmost importance for intrauterine fetal development and growth. Abnormality of placental structure or function can lead to some diseases for both mother and fetus, such as pre-eclampsia, gestational trophoblastic disease, and fetal growth retardation. A growing number of researches reveal that epigenetic regulation is a significant factor in placental development, and is associated with small for gestational age （SGA）. Gene expression patterns can be affected by epigenetic marks, like DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs. This article will concretely introduce the relationship between epigenetic regulation of placenta and SGA.