Title: Somatic Genomic Variations in Early Human Prenatal Development
Volume: 11
Issue: 6
Author(s): Caroline Robberecht, Evelyne Vanneste, Anne Pexsters, Thomas D'Hooghe, Thierry Voet and Joris R. Vermeesch
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Aneuploidy, chromosome aberrations, embryonic and fetal development, somatic genomic variations
Abstract: Only 25 to 30% of conceptions result in a live birth. There is mounting evidence that the cause for this low fecundity is an extremely high incidence of chromosomal rearrangements occurring in the cleavage stage embryo. In this review, we gather all recent evidence for an extraordinary degree of mosaicisms in early embryogenesis. The presence of the rearrangements seen in the cleavage stage embryos can explain the origins of the placental mosaicisms seen during chorion villi sampling as well as the chromosomal anomalies seen in early miscarriages. Whereas these rearrangements often lead to implantation failure and early miscarriages, natural selection of the fittest cells in the embryo is the likely mechanism leading to healthy fetuses.
