Abstract
One of the important functions of the human placenta is to produce peptide hormones during pregnancy. The major ones elaborated by the trophoblast are human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL). The appearance of the hormones in maternal serum during pregnancy is quite different. Whereas hCG peaks in the first trimester, hPL reaches maximal levels near term. Since the levels of these hormones differ during the course of gestation, it is apparent that the factors controlling their synthesis are not the same. Thus the human placenta represents a convenient and unique tissue for studying expression of human hormonal genes during development.
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