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Molecular and Cellular Biology, April 2000, p. 2466-2474, Vol. 20, No. 7
Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie,
Universität Hamburg, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
Received 23 December 1999/Accepted 6 January 2000
The GCM family of transcription factors consists of
Drosophila melanogaster GCM, an important regulator of
gliogenesis in the fly, and its two mammalian homologs, GCMa and GCMb.
To clarify the function of these mammalian homologs, we deleted GCMa in
mice. Genetic ablation of murine GCMa (mGCMa) is embryonic lethal, with mice dying between 9.5 and 10 days postcoitum. At the time of death, no
abnormalities were apparent in the embryo proper. Nervous system
development, in particular, was not impaired, as might have been
expected in analogy to Drosophila GCM. Instead, placental failure was the cause of death. In agreement with the selective expression of mGCMa in labyrinthine trophoblasts, mutant placentas did
not develop a functional labyrinth layer, which is necessary for
nutrient and gas exchange between maternal and fetal blood. Only a few
fetal blood vessels entered the placenta, and these failed to thrive
and branch normally. Labyrinthine trophoblasts did not differentiate.
All other layers of the placenta, including spongiotrophoblast and
giant cell layer, formed normally. Our results indicate that mGCMa
plays a critical role in trophoblast differentiation and the signal
transduction processes required for normal vascularization of the placenta.
0270-7306/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Placental Failure in Mice Lacking the Mammalian
Homolog of Glial Cells Missing, GCMa
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: ZMNH,
Martinistr. 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany. Phone: 49 40 42803 6274. Fax:
49 40 42803 6602. E-mail:
wegner{at}plexus.uke.uni-hamburg.de.
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