Single Cell Transcriptome Research in Human Placenta

TL;DR

This paper reviews the application of single cell RNA sequencing technology to study human placenta heterogeneity, development, and pregnancy complications, highlighting recent findings, computational tools, and future research directions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent scRNA-seq studies on human placenta, including methodologies, findings, and future prospects, which is novel in consolidating this emerging field.

Findings

Revealed placental cell heterogeneity across gestational ages

Identified molecular interactions in placental cells

Summarized computational tools for placental scRNA-seq analysis

Abstract

Human placenta is a complex and heterogeneous organ interfacing between the mother and the fetus that supports fetal development. Alterations to placental structural components are associated with various pregnancy complications. To reveal the heterogeneity among various placenta cell types in normal and diseased placentas, as well as elucidate molecular interactions within a population of placental cells, a new genomics technology called single cell RNA-Seq (or scRNA-seq) has been employed in the last couple of years. Here we review the principles of scRNA-seq technology, and summarize the recent human placenta studies at scRNA-seq level across gestational ages as well as in pregnancy complications such as preterm birth and preeclampsia. We list the computational analysis platforms and resources available for the public use. Lastly, we discuss the future areas of interest for placenta single cell studies, as well as the data analytics needed to accomplish them.