Cellular and Molecular Determinants of Pregnancy Success at the Fetal-Maternal Interface in Health and Disease

  • 5,481

    Total downloads

  • 20k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

Pregnancy in placental mammals including the human starts with the process of implantation of the embryo followed by placental development. The placenta serves multiple functions essential for fetal growth and survival. The hemochorial type of placenta, such as in the human, is also a highly invasive tumor-like structure which invades the pregnant uterus and its vasculature to nourish the fetus. These functions are provided by two classes of trophoblast (villous and extravillous) cells. They originate from the bi-potent trophoblast stem cells (TSC) contained within the cytotrophoblast layer of the chorionic villi. Villous syncytiotrophoblast layer lining the maternal blood sinusoids arise from the TSC by cell fusion and are primarily engaged in absorptive, exchange and endocrine functions. Extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells arise from the TSC as highly migratory cell columns, which proliferate at the villus base and invade the uterine decidua and spiral arteries (SA). They undergo endothelial-like (endovascular) differentiation to invade and remodel distal segments of the SA into low-resistance tubes that allow steady flow of maternal blood for fetal nourishment. Poor EVT invasion & SA remodeling are linked with maternal preeclampsia (PE) and fetal growth restriction (FGR). A large number of molecules produced locally at the fetal maternal interface either by the trophoblast or various maternal cell types within the endometrium or the decidua (decidual cells, immune cells, stromal cells), positively or negatively regulate trophoblast differentiation, proliferation, migration and invasion , and other pregnancy-related events such as decidual maturation, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, maintaining a healthy utero-placental homeostasis.



Molecules responsible for uteroplacental homeostasis include a variety of growth factors, growth factor-binding proteins and proteoglycans, cytokines , chemokines lipid derivatives and matrix-degrading enzymes or their inhibitors. An altered production of some of these factors can lead to a variety of pregnancy related pathologies such as pregnancy loss, FGR, PE and hyper-invasive placentas (placenta acreta, increta and percreta). A good deal of information is already available on the functions of specific maternal or fetally-derived cells of the placenta and their products responsible for normal placental functions and their alterations in the pathogenesis of pregnancy-associated diseases. However there remains a large gap in the knowledge. The goal of the present research topis is to review specific areas of cellular/molecular interactions that contribute to normal pregnancy or pregnancy associated diseases and to identify gaps in the knowledge for future research to address.



Themes of interest for submissions include, but are not limited to:

- Roles of uterine natural killer cells in pregnancy and pregnancy failure

- Function of uterine macrophages and dendritic cells in immune protection of the fetus.

- Roles of prostaglandins and their receptors in pregnancy.

- Roles of decorin and decorin receptors in pregnancy.

- Roles of osteopontin in pregnancy

- Roles of hypoxia and hypoxia regulated pathways in pregnancy success and pregnancy-associated diseases

- Roles of angiogenic growth factors and their receptors in pregnancy

- Regulation of human trophoblast stem cells

- Roles of interleukins and chemokines in pregnancy

- Roles of inflammation in preeclampsia

- Epigenetic regulators of pregnancy success

- Roles of extracellular vesicles in fetal-maternal cross talk

- Roles of insulin-like growth factor and IGF-binding - proteins in fetal growth

- Control mechanisms in uterine arterial remodelling in normal pregnancy and pregnancy-related diseases

Keywords: fetal-maternal interface, placenta, pregnancy, pregnancy failure, uterine, trophoblast, preeclampsia

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 20kTopic views
  • 14kArticle views
  • 5,481Article downloads
View impact