Plac1 Expression Pattern at the Mouse Fetomaternal Interface and Involvement in Trophoblast Differentiation.

Background/aims: It is well known that Plac1 is a placenta-specific gene; however, its spatiotemporal expression pattern and exact role at t h e mouse fetomaternal interface r e m a i n s unclear.

Methods: In situ hybridization (ISH) was used to localize the Plac1 mRNA at the mouse fetomaternal interface. A trophoblast stem cell (TS) differentiation model with Plac1 shRNA-overexpressing lentivirus was employed to investigate the possible role of Plac1 in placentation.

PLAC1 is involved in human trophoblast syncytialization.

Placenta specific protein 1 (PLAC1) is thought to be important for murine and human placentation because of its abundant expression in placenta; however, the trophoblast subtypes that express PLAC1 at the fetomaternal interface and the major role of PLAC1 in placentation are still unclear. This study investigated the expression pattern of PLAC1 at the human fetomaternal interface and its involvement in trophoblast syncytialization. Localization of PLAC1 at the fetomaternal interface was studied using in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays.