Omics · study · 2026
OVOL2 Reinforces Epithelial Identity and Mediates Syncytiotrophoblast Formation in the Mouse Placenta [ChIP-Seq]
Listed in NCBI GEO
The placenta establishes the interface between maternal and fetal tissues during pregnancy, enabling the selective exchange of nutrients and gases between maternal and fetal circulations.
Description
In humans and mice, this exchange surface is lined by a multinucleated epithelial layer called the syncytiotrophoblast (SynT). SynT formation from trophoblast precursors requires epithelial plasticity to permit cell differentiation, fusion, and morphogenesis, while preserving epithelial integrity to maintain the maternal-fetal exchange barrier.
However, the mechanisms that safeguard epithelial features during SynT development remain unclear. OVO-like 2 (OVOL2), a transcriptional repressor of mesenchymal programs and key regulator of epithelial identity, is highly expressed in the mouse placenta and essential for its development. We hypothesized that OVOL2 promotes SynT lineage formation by restricting mesenchymal transformation during trophoblast differentiation.
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To test this, placental development was examined following Ovol2+/- matings, and wild-type and Ovol2-deficient trophoblast stem cells were analyzed under stem conditions or differentiated with CHIR99021 to enrich for SynT lineages. SynT lineage development was disrupted in both Ovol2-deficient placentas and differentiating trophoblast stem cells. Chromatin profiling identified OVOL2 binding near genes associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, including Id1, Zeb1, and Vim, which were upregulated in Ovol2-deficient trophoblasts.
Consistent with these observations, Ovol2-deficient cells showed elevated levels of mesenchymal markers such as ZEB1 and Vimentin and reduced levels of epithelial markers including E-cadherin. These findings identify OVOL2 as a critical regulator of SynT lineage formation and epithelial identity in the mouse placenta.
Links
Get the data
- GEO FTP directory ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/series/GSE324nnn/GSE324788 ↗
download · from NCBI GEO
Where it is published
- GEO accession page ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE324788 ↗
landing page · from NCBI GEO
Documentation and papers
- PRJNA1437069 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/PRJNA1437069 ↗
project · from NCBI GEO
- PubMed 42490407 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42490407 ↗
publication · from NCBI GEO
Topics
- Stated by source
- Genome binding/occupancy profiling by high throughput sequencing · Mus musculus
- From keywords
- Life Sciences
Provenance · 1 source records, 7 field assertions
| Source | Key | Last seen | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCBI GEO | GSE324788 | 12 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Field | Assertion | Extractor | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| access_level | source · NCBI GEO | connector:ncbi_geo@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:life-sciences | mapping · NCBI GEO | connector:ncbi_geo@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[method].geo_series_type:genome-binding-occupancy-profiling-by-high-throughput-sequencing | source · NCBI GEO | connector:ncbi_geo@1.0.0 | /gdstype |
| concepts[organism].NCBITaxon:10090 | source · NCBI GEO | connector:ncbi_geo@1.0.0 | /taxon |
| description | source · NCBI GEO | connector:ncbi_geo@1.0.0 | /summary |
| publication_date | source · NCBI GEO | connector:ncbi_geo@1.0.0 | |
| title | source · NCBI GEO | connector:ncbi_geo@1.0.0 | /title |