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Placental Development, Evolution, and Epigenetics of Primate Pregnancies

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Building Babies

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR,volume 37))

Abstract

Understanding the epigenetic regulation of pregnancy in primates requires the integration of many fields of scientific inquiry including primate phylogeny, the evolution of placental anatomy, comparative genomics, and epigenomics. Primate pregnancies vary enormously in terms of timing of embryo implantation, placental anatomy, uterine shape, rates of fetal growth and development, neonatal body mass, number of offspring per pregnancy, and gestation length. Epigenetic mechanisms may play a role in regulating some if not all of these parameters in pregnancy, but current knowledge is limited. Moreover, in addition to normal variation, the potential role of epigenetics in obstetrical syndromes (e.g. preterm birth, preeclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation) is becoming more appreciated, and evidence suggests the fetal environment in which epigenetic programming takes place can have long-lasting consequences on adult health. In this chapter we review the immunological paradox that characterizes pregnancies in placental mammals, and we also review the types of interactions that can exist between mother and fetus. These interactions are mediated through the placenta, an organ that includes both fetal and maternal tissue and range from conflict to cooperation. We propose that the placenta plays a unique role in maternal–fetal interactions due to its short life span, and we describe how different forms of maternal–fetal interdigitation can potentially be involved in fetal growth and development. There was likely a selective advantage gained by altering fetal growth rate, neonatal size, gestation length, and reproductive anatomy. Study of the natural and pathological anatomical, genetic, and epigenetic variation that characterizes primate pregnancies should shed light on the evolution and diversification of the primates and also provide insight into the evolution of some human diseases. The role of epigenetics in these processes, in particular, requires further investigation.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (grant number BCS0827546). NMJ is supported by NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (grant number BCS1061370). The authors would like to thank the editors and three anonymous reviewers for insightful comments and discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 540 E. Canfield, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Kirstin N. Sterner, Natalie M. Jameson & Derek E. Wildman

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA

    Kirstin N. Sterner

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 540 E. Canfield, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Derek E. Wildman

Authors
  1. Kirstin N. Sterner
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  2. Natalie M. Jameson
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  3. Derek E. Wildman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Derek E. Wildman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, 109 Davenport Hall, M/C 148, Urbana, 61801, Illinois, USA

    Kathryn B.H. Clancy

  2. , Department of HUman Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Katie Hinde

  3. , Comparative Primate Biology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, 60612, Illinois, USA

    Julienne N. Rutherford

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Sterner, K.N., Jameson, N.M., Wildman, D.E. (2013). Placental Development, Evolution, and Epigenetics of Primate Pregnancies. In: Clancy, K., Hinde, K., Rutherford, J. (eds) Building Babies. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects, vol 37. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4060-4_3

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