Pleiotropic actions of forskolin result in phosphatidylserine exposure in primary trophoblasts.

Forskolin is an extract of the Coleus forskholii plant that is widely used in cell physiology to raise intracellular cAMP levels. In the field of trophoblast biology, forskolin is one of the primary treatments used to induce trophoblastic cellular fusion. The syncytiotrophoblast (ST) is a continuous multinucleated cell in the human placenta that separates maternal from fetal circulations and can only expand by fusion with its stem cell, the cytotrophoblast (CT).

Fibrocyte-like cells from intrauterine growth restriction placentas have a reduced ability to stimulate angiogenesis.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a common complication of pregnancy whereby the fetus fails to achieve its genetic growth potential. Malformation of the placental vasculature is observed in IUGR and may be due to the development of the placenta in a chronically hypoxic environment. Recently, we identified that the predominant stromal cells in the angiogenic zones of the placenta are fibrocyte-like cells.

Differential proteomic analysis of highly purified placental cytotrophoblasts in pre-eclampsia demonstrates a state of increased oxidative stress and reduced cytotrophoblast antioxidant defense.

Proteomics were performed using highly (99.99%) purified cytotrophoblasts from six normal and six pre-eclamptic placentas. Eleven proteins were found which decreased in pre-eclampsia (actin, glutathione S-transferase, peroxiredoxin 6, aldose reductase, heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60), two molecular forms of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) β-tubulin, subunit proteasome, ezrin, protein disulfide isomerase, and phosphoglycerate mutase 1).

Isolation of non-activated monocytes from human umbilical cord blood.

Problem: Methods for monocyte purification are common but few work with umbilical cord monocytes that do not activate the cell for subsequent culture analysis.

Methods Of Study: The collection procedure avoids use of needles and procedures that variably activate blood clotting and uses a purification procedure that involves diluted Ficoll, autologous serum to remove platelets and 42% and 51% Percoll step gradients for the final purification. The resulting monocytes were stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide and formalin-treated bacteria Escherichia coli and group B streptococci (GBS) to secrete TNF-alpha and IL-1beta, measured by ELISA.

PL74, a novel member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, is overexpressed in preeclampsia and causes apoptosis in trophoblast cells.

PL74, a novel member of the TGFbeta superfamily that has highest expression in placenta, is a multifunctional peptide that can induce differentiation, inhibit inflammatory stimulation of TNFalpha, and execute apoptosis after p53 overexpression and cytotoxic injury. To study its expression and function in placenta and preeclampsia, we first determined mRNA expression in nine normal and 10 preeclamptic placentas. PL74 mRNA was overexpressed by 57.

Adrenomedullin is decreased in preeclampsia because of failed response to epidermal growth factor and impaired syncytialization.

To explore the mechanisms of adrenomedullin (ADM) regulation in normal and preeclamptic (PE) states, we determined placental production of ADM and ADM regulation by cytokines. Isolated, purified cytotrophoblast cultures from normal (n=8) and PE (n=10) placentas were cultured for 3 days in the absence or presence of 10 ng/mL epidermal growth factor (EGF), 1 ng/mL transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, 10 ng/mL tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, or 100 U/mL interferon (IFN)-gamma. Cells were also cultured for 3 days in 10% fetal bovine serum for determination of syncytial formation by desmoplakin staining.

Infection of placental trophoblasts by Toxoplasma gondii.

How the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes placental inflammation and infects the fetus is unknown. By use of a culture model of primary human trophoblasts, we examined the consequences of infection by a virulent strain of T. gondii.