Anion transport by human placenta: a study of chloride and sulphate efflux from isolated placental tissue fragments

Placental sulphate transport: a review of functional and molecular studies

Sulphate is required by the feto-placental unit for a number of important conjugation and biosynthetic pathways. Functional studies performed several decades ago established that sulphate transport in human placental microvillus and basal membrane vesicles was mainly via a DIDS-sensitive anion-exchange mechanism. In contrast, no evidence was found for Na⁺-dependent transport. Studies performed using isolated human placental tissue confirmed anion-exchange as the main mechanism. More recently, molecular studies have established the presence of anion-exchange proteins which could play a role in transplacental sulphate movement. However, the presence of transcripts for NaS2 has been reported and has prompted the suggestion that Na⁺-sulphate cotransport may play an important role in maternal-fetal sulphate transport. This article reviews our present knowledge of placental sulphate transport, both functional and molecular, and attempts to form a model based on the available evidence.

Functional characteristics of NaS2, a placenta-specific Na+-coupled transporter for sulfate and oxyanions of the micronutrients selenium and chromium

NaS2 is a Na+-coupled transporter for sulfate that belongs to the SLC13 gene family. This transporter was originally cloned from high endothelial venule endothelial cells, but nothing is known about the functional characteristics of this transporter except that it transports sulfate in a Na+-coupled manner. Northern blot analysis indicates that NaS2 is expressed most robustly in placenta. In the present study, we cloned NaS2 from rat placenta and characterized its transport function in detail using the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system. Rat NaS2 consists of 629 amino acids and is highly similar to human NaS2. In situ hybridization studies with mouse placental sections show that NaS2 transcripts are expressed primarily in trophoblasts of the labyrinth zone. The expression of the transporter is confirmed in primary cultures of trophoblasts isolated from human placenta. When expressed in X. laevis oocytes, rat NaS2 mediates Na+-coupled transport of sulfate. The transport of sulfate is inhibited by oxyanions of selenium, chromium, arsenic, molybdenum, and phosphorous, suggesting that the transporter may mediate the transport of these oxyanions in addition to sulfate. The Kt for sulfate is 153+/-30 microM and the Na+:sulfate stoichiometry is 3:1. The transport process is electrogenic as evidenced from the inhibition of the uptake process by K+-induced depolarization. We conclude that NaS2 is a placenta-specific Na+-coupled, electrogenic, transporter for sulfate expressed in trophoblasts and that it is also responsible for the transport of oxyanions of the micronutrients selenium and chromium.

The functional regeneration of syncytiotrophoblast in cultured explants of term placenta

We have investigated the functional characteristics of term human placental villous explants kept in long-term (7-11 days) culture. Fragments of placental villous tissue (approximately 5-10 mg wet wt) were cultured in supplemented CMRL-1066 culture medium for up to 11 days. After the first day of culture, the syncytiotrophoblast appeared vacuolated and eventually degenerated. However, a new syncytiotrophoblast developed by day 4, being indistinguishable from that of a fresh placenta by 11 days. Release of human chorionic gonadotrophin increased and activity of lactate dehydrogenase in culture medium decreased with culture time. Transport variables were measured over the first 7 days of culture. Basal (86)Rb efflux was reduced with time in culture and was inhibited by Ba2+, suggesting the efflux was mediated by K+ channels. At all stages of culture, (86)Rb efflux was stimulated by ATP, hyposmotic medium, and ANG II. A complex pattern of efflux changes with culture time and type of stimulator was observed, suggesting that several compartments of the tissue contributed to stimulated efflux. This culture system provides opportunities for studies of chronic regulation of placental function.

Sodium iodide symporter (NIS) gene expression in human placenta

The placenta must allow the passage of iodide from the maternal to the fetal circulation for synthesis of thyroxine by the fetal thyroid. The thyroid sodium iodide symporter (NIS) was cloned in 1996 and, although widely distributed among epithelial tissues, early studies failed to detect it in placenta. We demonstrated NIS mRNA in human placenta and in the human choriocarcinoma cell line, JAr. NIS protein was localized to trophoblasts, with a tendency to apical distribution, in sections of human placenta immunostained with a monoclonal antibody against hNIS. We conclude that NIS is expressed in placenta and may mediate placental iodide transport.

Thyroid hormone efflux from placental tissue is not stimulated during cell volume regulation

The effects of cell swelling induced by hyposmotic shock on efflux of hybrid hormones and selected amino acids from human placental tissue were examined. Decreasing the osmolarity of external medium from 290 to 140 mOsm/kg stimulated release of taurine, tryptophan and glutamine from placental tissue fragments. The efflux rate constant for taurine increased from 0.0069 +/- 0.0012/min to 0.0646 +/- 0.0217/min (n = 6) (P < 0.001), for tryptophan from 0.016 +/- 0.0010/min to 0.0295 +/- 0.0016/min (n = 6) (P < 0.001), and for glutamine from 0.0267 +/- 0.0027/min to 0.0659 +/- 0.0043/min (n = 4) (P < 0.001). In contrast, hyposmotic challenge did not affect release of triiodothyronine, thyroxine and leucine. These results indicate that transport processes involved in the regulation of cellular volume are unlikely to facilitate efflux of thyroid hormones from placental tissue, and therefore are unlikely to mediate transfer of thyroid hormones across the placenta. In addition, it is unlikely that the transport system facilitating the release of amino acids from placental tissue during regulatory volume decrease is one of the known amino acid carriers.

Sulfate transport in human placental brush-border membrane vesicles

Membrane transport pathways for transplacental transfer of sulfate were investigated by assessing the possible presence of a bicarbonate-coupled anion exchange mechanism for sulfate in the maternal facing membrane of human placental epithelial cells. The presence of a SO42-/HCO3- exchange mechanism was determined from 35SO42-tracer flux measurements in preparations of purified brush-border membrane vesicles. Under 10% CO2/90% N2 the imposition of an outwardly directed bicarbonate gradient (pH0 6/pHi 7.5) stimulated sulfate uptake to levels approximately 4-fold greater than observed at equilibrium. Maneuvers designed to offset the development of ion gradient-induced diffusion potentials (valinomycin, [K+]0 = [K+]i) significantly reduced bicarbonate gradient-induced sulfate uptake but concentrative accumulation of sulfate persisted. Early time point determinations performed in the presumed absence of membrane potential suggest the reduced level of bicarbonate gradient-induced sulfate uptake resulted from a more rapid dissipation of the imposed bicarbonate gradient. Concentrative accumulation of sulfate was not observed in the presence of a pH gradient alone under 100% N2. suggesting a preference of bicarbonate over hydroxyl ions as substrates for exchange. Static head determinations of opposing sulfate and bicarbonate gradients resulting in zero net flux of sulfate suggests the anion exchange mechanism mediates the electroneutral exchange of 2 bicarbonate or 1 carbonate for each sulfate. Sulfate uptake was increased with increasing intravesicular concentrations of carbonate at constant bicarbonate but was constant with increasing intravesicular concentrations of bicarbonate at constant carbonate suggesting carbonate as a substrate for anion exchange. The mechanism mediating bicarbonate gradient-induced sulfate uptake was sensitive to inhibition by stilbene derivatives, furosemide, bumetanide and probenecid. Substrate specificity studies suggest possible interactions of the anion exchange mechanism with salicylate, butyrate, thiosulfate, sulfite, selenate, chromate and oxalate. The results of this study provide evidence for the presence of a bicarbonate-coupled anion exchange mechanism as an electroneutral pathway for sulfate transport across the maternal-facing membrane of human placental epithelial cells.

Volume-activated amino acid efflux from term human placental tissue: stimulation of efflux via a pathway sensitive to anion transport inhibitors

The effect of a hyposmotic challenge and hence cell-swelling upon the efflux of a variety of solutes from isolated human placental tissue has been examined. A hyposmotic shock increased the fractional release of taurine, the most abundant free amino acid in placental tissue, via a pathway sensitive to niflumic acid, DIDS (4,4'-Diisothiocyanatostilbene-2',2'-disulphonic acid,) NPPB (5-Nitro-2(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid) and DIOA (R(+)[2-n-butyl-6,7-dichloro-2-cyclopentyl-2,3-dihydro-1-oxo-1H-inden -5-y) oxy] acetic acid). In contrast, tamoxifen was without effect. The cell-swelling induced efflux of taurine was attenuated (40 per cent) by replacing external Cl- with NO3-. The efflux of glutamic acid was also markedly increased by a hyposmotic challenge. Niflumic acid inhibited both basal and volume-activated glutamic acid efflux. A hyposmotic shock also increased alpha-aminoisobutyric acid efflux but not that of 3-O-methylglucose and SO4(2)-. The results suggest that the human placenta can respond to cell-swelling by releasing organic osmolytes such as amino acids via a pathway which is sensitive to anion transport inhibitors. However, it appears that the volume-activated amino acid transport system is independent from the placental anion-exchange pathways. The efflux of these compounds may act with K+ and Cl- efflux to effect a regulatory volume decrease in placental tissue. In addition, volume-activated transport may play a role in transplacental amino acid transfer.