Redeployment of Placental Gene Programming: Can Invasive Placentation Molecular Switches Complement the Hallmarks of Cancer?

Placentation arose in mammalian evolution some 150-200 M years ago and integrates a rather ingenious manner large number of previously evolved multicellular regulatory pathways which include: angiogenesis, inflammatory cytokines interleukins, HLA expression, immune peptides, receptors (for NK decidual cells, T B including Tregs, macrophages, antigen-presenting cells ), endothelial fibroblasts, checkpoints (including PD-L1), many paracrine or endocrine hormones growth factors, tissue enzymes, extracellular vesicles, several different mechanisms for epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, hypoxia adaptations, morphogenetic changes, others. Speculating from real genomics epigenetic data single clinical case pregnant young woman with breast cancer, it has been recently proposed that cancer do not have to invent “de novo” escape mechanisms, so-called “immune editing”, but redeploy–probably by mechanisms–intrinsic encrypted gene programmes physiologically used the process invasive placentation mammals. Most these were specifically placenta–but there probably exceptions, such as those still poorly understood key related foeto-maternal tolerance perhaps trophoblast differentiation invasion. In my opinion, molecular switches can complement hallmarks re-using “placental programming” competitive advantage cells.