Intracellular pH homeostasis in cultured human placental syncytiotrophoblast cells: recovery from acidification

Regulation of human trophoblast GLUT1 glucose transporter by insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I)

Glucose transport to the fetus across the placenta takes place via glucose transporters in the opposing faces of the barrier layer, the microvillous and basal membranes of the syncytiotrophoblast. While basal membrane content of the GLUT1 glucose transporter appears to be the rate-limiting step in transplacental transport, the factors regulating transporter expression and activity are largely unknown. In view of the many studies showing an association between IGF-I and fetal growth, we investigated the effects of IGF-I on placental glucose transport and GLUT1 transporter expression. Treatment of BeWo choriocarcinoma cells with IGF-I increased cellular GLUT1 protein. There was increased basolateral (but not microvillous) uptake of glucose and increased transepithelial transport of glucose across the BeWo monolayer. Primary syncytial cells treated with IGF-I also demonstrated an increase in GLUT1 protein. Term placental explants treated with IGF-I showed an increase in syncytial basal membrane GLUT1 but microvillous membrane GLUT1 was not affected. The placental dual perfusion model was used to assess the effects of fetally perfused IGF-I on transplacental glucose transport and syncytial GLUT1 content. In control perfusions there was a decrease in transplacental glucose transport over the course of the perfusion, whereas in tissues perfused with IGF-I through the fetal circulation there was no change. Syncytial basal membranes from IGF-I perfused tissues showed an increase in GLUT1 content. These results demonstrate that IGF-I, whether acting via microvillous or basal membrane receptors, increases the basal membrane content of GLUT1 and up-regulates basal membrane transport of glucose, leading to increased transepithelial glucose transport. These observations provide a partial explanation for the mechanism by which IGF-I controls nutrient supply in the regulation of fetal growth.

Global protein synthesis in human trophoblast is resistant to inhibition by hypoxia

Placental growth and function depend on syncytial cell processes which require the continuing synthesis of cellular proteins. The substantial energy demands of protein synthesis are met primarily from oxidative metabolism. Although the responses of individual proteins produced by the syncytiotrophoblast to oxygen deprivation have been investigated previously, there is no information available on global protein synthesis in syncytiotrophoblast under conditions of hypoxia. These studies were designed to test the hypothesis that syncytial protein synthesis is decreased in a dose-dependent manner by hypoxia. Experiments were performed to measure amino acid incorporation into proteins in primary syncytiotrophoblast cells exposed to oxygen concentrations ranging from 0 to 10%. Compared to cells exposed to normoxia (10% O₂), no changes were observed following exposure to 5% or 3% O₂, but after exposure to 1% O₂, protein synthesis after 24 and 48 h decreased by 24% and 23% and with exposure to 0% O₂, by 65% and 50%. As a consequence of these results, we hypothesized that global protein synthesis in conditions of severe hypoxia was being supported by glucose metabolism. Additional experiments were performed therefore to examine the role of glucose in supporting protein synthesis. These demonstrated that at each oxygen concentration there was a significant, decreasing linear trend in protein synthesis as glucose concentration was reduced. Under conditions of near-anoxia and in the absence of glucose, protein synthesis was reduced by >85%. Even under normoxic conditions (defined as 10% O₂) and in the presence of oxidative substrates, reductions in glucose were accompanied by decreases in protein synthesis. These experiments demonstrate that syncytiotrophoblast cells are resistant to reductions in protein synthesis at O₂ concentrations greater than 1%. This could be explained by our finding that a significant fraction of protein synthesis in the syncytiotrophoblast is sustained by glycolytic metabolism. This suggests that with increasing degrees of chronic hypoxia there is a shift from oxidative to glycolytic pathways, allowing a substantial degree of protein synthesis to be maintained.

Altered global gene expressions of human placentae subjected to assisted reproductive technology treatments

BACKGROUND

Researchers are more and more concerning the safety of fetus or offspring derived from assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. As the placenta is a critical organ that sustains and protects the fetus, we hypothesize that altered global gene expression of the placenta subjected to ART manipulation may reflect changes associated with ART procedures and subsequently causal related to offspring health.

METHODS

Three term placenta samples were obtained from patients undergone in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer due to oviductal factors only. Other three control placentae were from those underwent normal pregnancy. A GeneChip Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 Array was utilized to analyze the genes. Using qRT-PCR we certified microarray data from 10 dysregulated genes. Five genes were localized precisely in the placenta as per immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Twenty-six differentially expressed genes were identified in the ART-treated placentae: 17 up-regulated; 9 down-regulated. Eighteen of these were classified into six groups according to critical placental function: immune response; transmembrane transport; metabolism; oxidative stress; cell differentiation; and other functions. Genes involved in immune response, such as ERAP2 and STAT4, and those regulating cell differentiations, such as MUC1, were discerned to be differentially expressed. These gene products were expressed in the placental villus tissues, either in the cytoplasm or in the membrane of syncytiotrophoblastic cells.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first study in comparing differentially expressed genes in placentae from patients undergone ART treatment vs. those underwent normal pregnancy. Abnormal profiles of critical placental functioning genes, such as ERAP2, STAT4 and MUC1, may be valuable biomarkers to understand how the placenta affects fetal development and ART-derived offspring's health problems.

Epidermal growth factor and sphingosine-1-phosphate stimulate Na+/H+ exchanger activity in the human placental syncytiotrophoblast

The Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) has a key role in intracellular pH ([pH]i) regulation of the syncytiotrophoblast in the human placenta and may have a role in the life cycle of this cell. In other cells the NHE (actually a family of up to 9 isoforms) is regulated by a variety of factors, but its regulation in the syncytiotrophoblast has not been studied. Here, we tested the hypotheses that EGF and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), both of which affect trophoblast apoptosis and, in other cell types, NHE activity, stimulate syncytiotrophoblast NHE activity. Villous fragments from term human placentas were loaded with the pH-sensitive dye, BCECF. NHE activity was measured by following the recovery of syncytiotrophoblast [pH]i following an imposed acid load, in the presence and absence of EGF, S1P, and specific inhibitors of NHE activity. Both EGF and S1P caused a dose-dependent upregulation of NHE activity in the syncytiotrophoblast. These effects were blocked by amiloride 500 microM (a nonspecific NHE blocker) and HOE694 100 microM (NHE blocker with NHE1 and 2 isoform selectivity). Effects of EGF were also reduced by the NHE3 selective blocker S3226 (used at 1 microM). These data provide the first evidence that both EGF and S1P stimulate NHE activity in the syncytiotrophoblast; they appear to do so predominantly by activating the NHE1 isoform.