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Comparative in situ transcriptome analysis of the human cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast
- Abstract
- Human placental villous trees are covered by a two-layered epithelium-like trophoblast layer, which consists of mononucleated cytotrophoblasts and an overlying multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast. Cell turnover in the trophoblast layer includes proliferation, differentiation and subsequent fusion of cytotrophoblasts with the syncytiotrophoblast. Thus, both layers represent stages of different degree of differentiation, ranging from very early differentiated (cytotrophoblast) to terminally differentiated stages (syncytiotrophoblast). Data on comparative whole transcriptome analyses between in vitro cultured mononucleated and multinucleated primary trophoblasts exist, but have their clear limitations. Withdrawal from the in vivo microenvironment as well as in vitro culture of primary cells alters gene expression profiles, which no longer resemble the in vivo situation. To overcome these limitations we intent to microdissect these two cell fractions directly from fixed, paraffin embedded placental tissue. Total RNAs from microdissected cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblast will be subjected to microarray analysis with the aim to detect differentially expressed genes. The expectations in this project are to gain insight into the spatial expression of genes relevant for trophoblast differentiation. Furthermore, this project should deliver the basis for follow-up studies comparing placentas from healthy and pathologic pregnancies.
- Keywords
- embryology
- histology
- Molecular pathology
- medical molecular biology
- cell biology / cytology
- Humane Plazenta
- Trophoblast
- Project Leader:
- Gauster Martin
- Duration:
- 01.02.2010-31.07.2011
- Type of Research
- basic research
- MUG Research Units
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology