Expression of ZO-1 and occludin in normal human placenta and in hydatidiform moles
| Autor: | A. Felici, Edward S. Newlands, M. De Nictolis, J. Mühlhauser, M. Banita, Daniela Marzioni, F. J. Paradinas, Mario Castellucci |
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| Rok vydání: | 2001 |
| Předmět: |
Embryology
medicine.medical_specialty Placenta Pregnancy Trimester Third Blotting Western Biology Occludin digestive system Cell junction Cell–cell interaction Pregnancy Internal medicine Tumor Cells Cultured Genetics medicine Humans Molecular Biology Cells Cultured reproductive and urinary physiology Syncytium Tight junction Membrane Proteins Obstetrics and Gynecology Hydatidiform Mole Cell Biology Phosphoproteins Immunohistochemistry Epithelium Cell biology Endocrinology medicine.anatomical_structure Reproductive Medicine Uterine Neoplasms embryonic structures Zonula Occludens-1 Protein Chorionic villi Female Endothelium Vascular Pregnancy Complications Neoplastic Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | Molecular Human Reproduction. 7:279-285 |
| ISSN: | 1460-2407 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/molehr/7.3.279 |
| Popis: | Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin are key molecules in cell–cell contacts. They are tight junction constituents and therefore play a pivotal role in tissue differentiation and organogenesis. In the present report we have investigated the expression of ZO-1 and occludin in normal human placentae and in hydatidiform moles using immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. In normal placentae, ZO-1 and occludin were mainly localized in the apical part of the syncytium, in cell–cell contacts between syncytium and villous cytotrophoblastic cells as well as between the latter. Extravillous cytotrophoblast of cell islands and cell columns was positive for ZO-1 and occludin in the cell layers proximally located to the villous stroma whereas the cytotrophoblastic cells, distally located from the villous stroma, were totally negative. Furthermore, fetal vessels showed a positive staining pattern for ZO-1 throughout gestation, whereas a positive reaction for occludin was produced mainly at term. A striking result was the altered expression of ZO-1 and occludin in partial and complete moles. In 11 moles, these two molecules were not expressed at all, while in the other nine, their expression was only cytoplasmic in syncytium and villous cytotrophoblastic cells. These findings suggest that ZO-1 and occludin participate in normal placental development, maintaining the organization and functions of different tissue components. The down-regulation and/ or dysregulation of these two molecules may be related to phenotypic changes associated with epithelial cell transformation of the chorionic villi in partial and complete moles. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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