Disturbance of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition as a Cause of the Defective Development of Human Spontaneous Abortions with Abnormal Karyotype

Genetic program regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition is activated at the early stages of embryogenesis. Abnormal karyotype of the embryo disrupts the fundamental process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which is seen from incomplete morphological rearrangement and reduced migration capacity of cells, as well as low level of expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers (fibronectin, collagen, and glycosaminoglycans). Disturbances of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition affect the proliferative potential of cells with aberrant karyotype, which contributes to the delay of embryonic development and correlates with the formation of abnormal phenotype in carriers of chromosomal abnormalities.