Epithelial membrane protein 2 (EMP2) deficiency alters placental angiogenesis, mimicking features of human placental insufficiency

Placental Insufficiency.

The histopathology of placental insufficiency.

Voltaire, regarded by some as a realist and by others as a cynic, remarked that 'if God did not exist it would be necessary to invent him'. One suspects that this comment is equally applicable to placental insufficiency, a concept that has similarly attracted not only faithful adherence but also bewildered agnosticism or defiant disbelief. Placental insufficiency has been largely defined in cli...

Placental sulphatase deficiency.

INTRODUCTION Placental sulphatase deficiency/congenital ichthyosis is an X-linked inborn error of metabolism which was first described in 1969 by France and Liggins.1 It is an enzymatic defect affecting steroid metabolism, clinically manifested by diminished oestrogen production during fetal life and by congenital ichthyosis post-natally. This disorder has a reported incidence of between 1: 6,0...

Functional consequences of interactions between FAK and epithelial membrane protein 2 (EMP2).

PURPOSE Collagen gel contraction by ARPE-19 is controlled by epithelial membrane protein 2 (EMP2) through focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation. The purpose of this study was to test the role of EMP2 in the cellular context of FAK activation. METHODS The ARPE-19 cell line was recombinantly modified to increase the expression of EMP2 and was used in this study. Quantification of FAK and Src p...

Normal and Pathological Placental Angiogenesis

Placental angiogenesis is a pivotal process that establishes fetomaternal circulation, ensures efficient maternofetal exchanges, plays a key mechanistic role in the elaboration of the placental villous tree, and contributes to the overall development of the placenta throughout pregnancy. Failure in these processes is tightly linked to the development of placental pathologies such as preeclampsi...