Alphafetoprotein and alphafetoprotein receptor expression in the normal human placenta at term

Alphafetoprotein (AFP) is detectable in maternal serum from around six weeks of gestation and is synthesised by the yolk sac and the fetal liver. The role of the placenta in the transport and possible synthesis of AFP is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate placental expression of AFP...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Placenta (Eastbourne) 2005-02, Vol.26 (2), p.190-200
Main Authors: Newby, D., Dalgliesh, G., Lyall, F., Aitken, D.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
alpha-Fetoproteins - genetics
alpha-Fetoproteins - metabolism
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Transport
Blotting, Western
Cells, Cultured
Chorionic Villi - metabolism
Embryology: invertebrates and vertebrates. Teratology
Female
Fetal membranes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects. Development. Fetal membranes
Humans
Immunoenzyme Techniques
Maternal-Fetal Exchange
Pregnancy
Receptors, Peptide - genetics
Receptors, Peptide - metabolism
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Messenger - metabolism
Term Birth
Trophoblasts - cytology
Trophoblasts - metabolism
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Summary:Alphafetoprotein (AFP) is detectable in maternal serum from around six weeks of gestation and is synthesised by the yolk sac and the fetal liver. The role of the placenta in the transport and possible synthesis of AFP is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate placental expression of AFP and the AFP receptor in uncomplicated pregnancies at term. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting clearly demonstrated the presence of AFP in villous tissue at term. However, evidence of AFP mRNA expression or synthesis of AFP was not found following reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction of total RNA isolated from villous tissue and trophoblast cell cultures. The presence of a cell surface receptor for AFP in placental villous tissue, identified by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, suggests a possible receptor-mediated mechanism for placental transport of AFP while the patterns of expression of AFP and its receptor may indicate a possible route by which AFP is transported across the placenta between the fetal and maternal circulations. These findings demonstrate that the placenta does not synthesise AFP at term and that the presence of AFP in the placenta is a reflection of transplacental transport of AFP possibly via a receptor-mediated mechanism.
ISSN:0143-4004
1532-3102
DOI:10.1016/j.placenta.2004.06.005