Reduced maternal expression of adrenomedullin disrupts fertility, placentation, and fetal growth in mice
J. Clin. Invest. Manyu Li, et al. 116:2653 doi:10.1172/JCI28462 [Go to this article.]

Figure 5
High incidence of morphological placental defects in AM^+/– intercrosses at E9. . (A) Saggital image of WT placental/decidual unit from E9.5 wild-type cross. Embryo and fetal membranes were removed. (B) H&E section of the sample in A, revealing fetal placental and maternal decidual tissues. (C) Normal histology of placental layers and maternal-fetal interface. (D) Saggital image of 2 placental/decidual units from E9.5 AM^+/– intercross. Note the juxtaposition of implantations, with fusion of decidua and smaller size of right placental/decidual unit. The right embryo was growth restricted. (E) H&E section of another conjoined placenta unit embedded in the same juxtaposed manner as in uterus. The right sample has detached maternal-fetal interface, with invasion of the ectopic placenta from the left embryo. (F) Abnormal invasion of TGCs (arrows), small labyrinth layer, significantly reduced spongiotrophoblast layer, and almost no maternal-fetal interface are present. (G) Saggital image of placental/decidual unit with ectopic placenta that has overgrown the decidual tissue. (H and I) H&E sections through distal pole of the sample in G. Note the absence of placental layers and maternal-fetal interface and the presence of edema. (J) Rostral image of twinned placental/decidual unit from E9.5 AM^+/– intercross. Note 2 fetal membranes within 1 decidua. Neither embryo appeared growth restricted. (K) H&E section through another twinned conceptus unit. Note shared decidua, 2 placentas, pool of maternal blood, and growth-restricted embryo. Genotypes were not determined. (L) Maternal-fetal interface of the sample in K. Arrows show 2 populations of TGCs invading at the same place. Pl, placenta; D, decidua; Lb, labyrinth; Sp, spongiotrophoblast. Arrows show TGCs. Scale bars: 1 mm (B, E, H, and K); 250 μm (C, F, I, and L).