%0 Journal Article
%T Human placental biology at single-cell resolution: a contemporaneous review.
%A Barrozo ER
%A Aagaard KM
%J BJOG
%V 129
%N 2
%D 01 2022
%M 34651399
%F 7.331
%R 10.1111/1471-0528.16970
%X Single-cell technologies capture cellular heterogeneity to focus on previously poorly described subpopulations of cells. Work by our laboratory and many others has metagenomically characterised a low biomass intrauterine microbial community, alongside microbial transcripts, antigens and metabolites, but the functional importance of low biomass microbial communities in placental immuno-microenvironments is still being elucidated. Given their hypothesised role in modulating inflammation and immune ontogeny to enable tolerance of beneficial microbes while warding off pathogens, there is a need for single-cell resolution. Herein, we summarise the potential for mechanistic understanding of these and other key fundamental early developmental processes by applying single-cell approaches.