Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Neumann, MA.
Uteroferrin in the early human placenta.
[ Diplomarbeit/Master Thesis (UNI) ] University of Graz; 2017. pp.69.
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Moser Gerit
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- Abstract:
- Uteroferrin (UF) is a progesterone-induced, iron-containing glycoprotein secreted by the uterine glandular epithelium of pregnant ruminants, which plays a role in the transport of iron between mother and fetus. So far, knowledge about whether UF is secreted in early human placenta is lacking. In the first trimester of pregnancy, before feto-maternal blood flow is established, secretions of placental uterine glands are the main source of nutrients for the developing embryo (histiotrophic nutrition). In this master thesis, a possible role of UF in histiotrophic nutrition was discussed. To investigate the distribution of UF in early human placenta, a selection of placental villi, trophoblast-invaded and non-invaded decidua of first-term placental tissue (n=14) was fixed and embedded in paraffin. Tissue sections were immunohistochemically stained with a monoclonal antibody against UF and analyzed under a light microscope. The localization of UF within the placenta as well as the intensity of UF expression were quantified. UF is strongly secreted in uterine glandular epithelium and is located in cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast. Invading extravillous trophoblasts in the decidual stroma also show strong staining for UF. In addition, localization of UF expression on mRNA level was performed on tissue sections of first-term placenta (n=4) using in situ hybridization. UF-mRNA transcripts could be detected in cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast, in the glandular epithelium as well as in cell columns and extravillous trophoblasts. In the early human placenta, UF is intensively expressed in the uterine glandular epithelium, can therefore be released with glandular secretion products and reaches the intervillous space. Thus, it can serve as a transport molecule of iron within the first-term placenta. The iron absorbed by the embryo presumably plays a role in the synthesis of hemoglobin and may be an important factor in fetal erythropoiesis.