Endocrine Abstracts

Trophoblasts are the cell type specific to the placenta. The terminally-differentiated multinucleate form, syncytiotrophoblast, covers the surface of placental chorionic villi, forming a large microvillous epithelium in contact with the maternal circulation. This syncytiotrophoblast layer is both the endocrine tissue of the placenta and the site of other placental functions (e.g. gas exchange, transport activities) upon which fetal viability depends. Syncytiotrophoblast cannot...