Advanced single-cell and spatial methods reveal the maternal–fetal connection in unprecedented detail. Researchers from University of California San Francisco (UCSF; CA, USA) have investigated the human maternal–fetal interface (MFI), constructing the most comprehensive cell atlas of the connection to date. This work not only illuminates new cell types and healthy MFI development, but provides an insight into conditions such as preeclampsia, miscarriage and preterm birth. The MFI is a temporary structure comprised of uterine and placental cells that is essential to both maternal and fetal health. Stymied by the MFI’s complexity, researchers in the past have struggled to study how healthy pregnancies develop and why complications arise. In their recent study, the UCSF team elected to use advanced single-cell and spatial tools to map MFI development throughout pregnancy and better understand the processes that underlie healthy development. They conducted single-nucleus multiome profiling, spatial transcriptomics and multiplex protein imaging on snap-frozen MFI samples from placenta tissue banks at Stanford University (CA, USA) and UCSF. These samples were from healthy pregnancies aborted during the first and second trimesters. The study also included analysis of fresh placental samples, which were collected following term delivery. Both sample types excluded tissues displaying health abnormalities, allowing the team to create a cell atlas reflecting healthy development. The physical cues coordinating childbirth A new study reveals how the uterus senses and responds to pregnancy and birth forces at a molecular level. This comprehensive cell atlas – documenting healthy MFI development from early gestation to term – revealed…
