Knockdown of Placental Major Facilitator Superfamily Domain Containing 2a in Pregnant Mice Reduces Fetal Brain Growth and Phospholipid Docosahexaenoic Acid Content.

Placenta-specific reduction in expression of the LPC-DHA transporter MFSD2a resulted in reduced fetal brain weight and lower phospholipid DHA content in the fetal brain. These data provide mechanistic evidence that placental MFSD2a mediates maternal-fetal transfer of LPC-DHA, which is critical for brain growth.