Description
The placenta serves as the structural interface for nutrient and waste exchange for proper fetal development. Although defects in placental function result in various placental disorders, molecular mechanisms orchestrating placental development and function are poorly understood. Gene targeting studies have shown that Hgf or c-Met KO embryos exhibit growth retardation and markedly smaller size of the placenta, and die by E14.5. Stem/progenitor cells in various tissues express c-Met and they participate in morphogenesis and tissue repair. Thus, we hypothesized that the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway is essential for the emergence, proliferation, and/or differentiation of putative stem/precursor cells of labyrinth trophoblasts at the midgestation stage.