Yin Lau Lee

Abstract N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent RNA modification and plays diverse roles in mammalian cells. However, its significance in human trophoblast lineage commitment and placenta development remains poorly understood. Here we show that METTL3, the primary enzyme responsible for m6A depositions, specifically marks cytotrophoblasts in human placenta, and exhibits defective expression in cytotrophoblasts from preeclampsia patients.

Footnotes Article type: Observational study (Study of screening and diagnostic tests) Funding: This work was supported by Grant for Fertility Innovation 2016 from Merck and the Health and Medical Research Fund (grant number: HMRF 04151546) from the Food and Health Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Disclosure Statement: The funding bodies have no role in design and conduct of the study, collection and analysis of the data and preparation of the manuscript.

1. Introduction Infertility is a prevalent health issue affecting millions of reproductive-aged couples worldwide. The use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is increasing worldwide to help infertile couples achieve conception. Despite advances in technology, the pregnancy and live birth rates are around 35% and 25% per transfer, respectively [1,2]. Implantation failure and early pregnancy loss are common [3,4].