Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: Several subsets of uterine natural killer lymphocytes (uNK cells) home to early decidua basalis in rodents and humans. UNK cells peak at midgestion when uNK cells synthesizing the angiokines placenta growth factor (PGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Delta-like ligand 1 (DLL1) are dominant. UNK cell-driven angiogenesis regulates the timing of both uterine lumen closure and early, post-implantation conceptus development. UNK cells contribute to ort...

Introduction: Maternal plasma in many pre-eclamptic (PE) pregnancies is low in the placenta product “Placental growth factor” (PGF). Offspring of PE compared to uncomplicated pregnancies show higher blood pressure, cognitive impairment and stroke; mechanisms explaining these differences are undefined. In Pgf−/− mice, decidual vessels have limited branching and connectivity. We asked if PGF deficiency diminishes brain vascular developme...