Expression of c-kit protein during placental development.
The c-kit proto-oncogene encodes a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor and is shown to be allelic with the white-spotting locus (W) of the mouse. In order to elucidate the role of c-kit protein during placental development, we have examined the expression of c-kit protein in the uterus and placenta of mice at pre- and post-implantation stages by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase (ABC) method using rat anti-mouse c-kit monoclonal antibody. At Days 3 and 5 of pregnancy and pseudo-pregnancy, c-kit protein was detected in the glandular epithelium, but little expression was observed in the luminal epithelium. At Day 7 of pregnancy, expression was detected in the stromal cells around the uterine crypts of the mesometrial portion, but not in the vigorously proliferating decidual cells around the developing embryo. At Days 9 and 10 of pregnancy, the decidua basalis facing invading trophoblasts gradually expressed c-kit protein. In the mature placenta, c-kit protein was detected in the labyrinthine and decidual layers, but in neither the giant trophoblastic nor the spongiotrophoblastic layer. By Northern blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), c-kit mRNA was detected at the stages of periimplantation and placental development. These results suggested that the c-kit protein might be involved in the proliferation and differentiation of placenta.
Horie
K
K
Department of Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
Fujita
J
J
Takakura
K
K
Kanzaki
H
H
Kaneko
Y
Y
Iwai
M
M
Nakayama
H
H
Mori
T
T
D000818:Animals; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D051379:Mice; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D010929:Placentation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism
D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit