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Fibulin-5 expression in the human placenta

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Abstract

Fibulin-5 is a secreted extracellular matrix glycoprotein and displays a diverse panel of biological functions, which can be segregated into elastogenic as well as extra-elastogenic functions. While elastogenic functions of fibulin-5 include essential roles in early steps of elastic fibre assembly, extra-elastogenic functions are widespread. Depending on the cell type used, fibulin-5 mediates cell adherence via a subset of integrins, antagonizes angiogenesis and inhibits migration as well as proliferation of endothelial and smooth muscle cells. In this study, we focused on the spatiotemporal expression of fibulin-5 in the human placenta. With progressing gestation, placental fibulin-5 expression increased from first trimester towards term. At term, placental fibulin-5 mRNA expression is lower when compared with other well-vascularized organs such as lung, kidney, heart, uterus and testis. In first trimester, placenta immunohistochemistry localized fibulin-5 in villous cytotrophoblasts and extravillous cytotrophoblasts of the proximal cell column. In term placenta, fibulin-5 was detected in the endothelial basement membrane and adventitia-like regions of vessels in the chorionic plate and stem villi. Cell culture experiments with the villous trophoblast-derived cell line BeWo showed that fibulin-5 expression was downregulated during functional differentiation and intercellular fusion. Moreover, cultivation of BeWo cells under low oxygen conditions impaired intercellular fusion and upregulated fibulin-5 expression. The spatiotemporal shift from the trophoblast compartment in first trimester to the villous vasculature at term suggests a dual role of fibulin-5 in human placental development.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the START funding program of the Medical University of Graz granted to M. Gauster. V.M. Berghold is funded by the PhD program Molecular Medicine of the Medical University of Graz.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Harrachgasse 21/7, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Martin Gauster, Veronika M. Berghold, Gerit Moser, Kristina Orendi, Monika Siwetz & Berthold Huppertz

  2. Institute of Human Genetics, Medical University of Graz, Harrachgasse 21/8, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Kristina Orendi

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  1. Martin Gauster
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  2. Veronika M. Berghold
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  3. Gerit Moser
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  6. Berthold Huppertz
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Correspondence to Martin Gauster.

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Gauster, M., Berghold, V.M., Moser, G. et al. Fibulin-5 expression in the human placenta. Histochem Cell Biol 135, 203–213 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-011-0784-4

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