Research progress on histone epigenetic modifications in placental trophoblast syncytialization.

During pregnancy, the placenta, as a temporary organ connecting the fetus to the mother, plays an essential role in fetal development. In the basic structural unit of the human placenta, the chorionic villus, proliferative mononuclear cytotrophoblasts cease division and spontaneously fuse to form non-proliferative multinucleated syncytiotrophoblasts a process termed trophoblast syncytialization. The expression of key genes is predominantly regulated by epigenetic modifications during syncytialization. Previous studies have reported that dysregulation of placental epigenetic modification is closely associated with placenta-related diseases such as preeclampsia (PE), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm birth. This review summarizes the epigenetic changes in placental genes mediated by epigenetic regulatory mechanisms during trophoblast syncytialization, offering potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications for placenta-associated diseases.