Huang ZW, Fong CY, Gauthaman K, Sukumar P, Mahyuddin AP, Barrett AN, Bongso A, Choolani M. Biology of human primitive erythroblasts for application in noninvasive prenatal diagnosis.
Prenat Diagn 2018;
38:673-684. [PMID:
29876942 DOI:
10.1002/pd.5295]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Human primitive erythroblasts produced during early embryogenesis have been found in maternal circulation at early gestation and are considered good target cells for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. We aimed to gain a better understanding of the biology of primitive erythroblasts and maximize their potential utility for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis.
METHODS
Cells were obtained from first trimester human placental tissues. Biological properties including surface antigen composition, differentiation, proliferation, enucleation, and degeneration were studied as gestation progressed. A microdroplet culture system was developed to observe the behavior of these cells in vitro.
RESULTS
Histology showed that primitive erythroblasts undergo maturation from polychromatic to orthochromatic erythroblasts and can differentiate spontaneously in vitro. Cell surface markers and nuclear gene expression suggest that the cells do not possess stemness properties, despite being primitive in nature. They have limited proliferative activity and highly deacetylated chromatin, but a microdroplet culture system can prolong their viability under normoxic conditions. No apoptosis was seen by 11 weeks' gestation, and there was no enucleation in vitro.
CONCLUSION
These properties confirm that viable cells with intact nuclei can be obtained at very early gestation for genetic analysis.
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