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Assessment of Placental Sodium-Independent Leucine Uptake and Transfer in Trophoblast Cells

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Trophoblasts

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2728))

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Abstract

The placenta maintains the balance between nutrition and growth control of the fetus through selective and regulated supply of macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and critical micronutrients. Perturbations in the balanced supply of nutrients as found in gestational diseases and altered fetal development have been associated with changes in amino acid transport proteins, such as the System L amino acid heterodimeric exchangers LAT1/SLC7A5 and LAT2/SLC7A8. Syncytiotrophoblasts (STB) form the crucial cell layer at the placental barrier coordinating the transfer of essential amino acids such as leucine from the maternal to the fetal circulation. The System L-mediated leucine transport across the placental barrier is a Na+-independent process against a counter-directed gradient, maintained by a tightly regulated interplay between accumulative transporters, exchangers, and facilitators.

The two methods described here allow to standardize and characterize the uptake kinetics of leucine in conventionally cultured BeWo cells and the transfer of leucine across the placental cell barrier using a BeWo monolayer in the Transwell® system.

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Author notes

  1. Jonas Zaugg

    Present address: Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Jonas Zaugg & Christiane Albrecht

  2. Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) TransCure, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Jonas Zaugg & Christiane Albrecht

Authors
  1. Jonas Zaugg
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  2. Christiane Albrecht
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Correspondence to Christiane Albrecht .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Sandeep Raha

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© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Zaugg, J., Albrecht, C. (2024). Assessment of Placental Sodium-Independent Leucine Uptake and Transfer in Trophoblast Cells. In: Raha, S. (eds) Trophoblasts. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2728. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3495-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3495-0_9

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-3494-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-3495-0

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