RALEIGH, N.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — During pregnancy, a mother and baby are connected by a remarkable organ — the placenta. Researchers now say a single massive cell inside that organ may hold clues to pregnancy complications, certain diseases, and even cancer. These so-called “extreme cells” don’t follow the normal rules of biology, and studying them may help scientists better understand how diseases begin.
Since we were kids, we were taught cells are small.
Most are so small you can’t see them with the human eye.
But Duke University scientists are studying cells that are anything but small.
These cells are called extreme because they break many of the rules of biology.
Amy Gladfelter, PhD, Cell Biologist at Duke University explains, “The types of cells we study are extreme in a couple of ways … and the most obvious way is they’re giant.”
A special cell in the placenta — the organ that connects mother and baby — can grow to the size of a parking space! And that single cell helps control the flow of nutrients, oxygen, and signals between mother and baby.
Professor Gladfelter says, “This cell is also the root of many pregnancy diseases.”
And what they’re learning could have implications far beyond pregnancy.
“If you think about what a placenta is and what it does, it actually has almost all the hallmarks of cancer.” Explains Professor Gladfelter.
Both can evade the immune system. Both use unusual metabolism, and both activate many of the same genes. Like some tumor cells, these placental cells can even contain multiple nuclei. For scientists, these extreme cells may offer a new window into how life and disease begin.
Scientists say the placenta is unique because it’s the only human organ that exists for just a few months and then disappears after birth. By studying these unusual cells researchers hope to better understand how cells grow, adapt, and sometimes become diseased under stress.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Eric Goldschmidt, Videographer; & Roque Correa, Editor.
* For More Information, Contact: Amy Susanne Gladfelter
Duke Health Distinguished Professor of
Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering
and
Fedor Kossakovski
Director, Research Communications
Duke Office of Communications
626-340-5136
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