title: Gestational changes in Ca2+ transport across rat placenta and mRNA for calbindin9K and Ca(2+)-ATPase.
abstract: The unidirectional maternofetal clearance (Kmf) of 45Ca was measured across the rat placenta over the last one-third of gestation. Kmf for 45Ca normalized to its diffusion coefficient in water (Kmf/Dw) increased 72-fold between days 15 and 22 of gestation from 3.5 +/- 0.3 to 253.1 +/- 22.0 cm/g placenta, respectively. At 15 and 18 days of gestation, Kmf/Dw for 45Ca was similar to Kmf/Dw for the paracellular marker [14C]mannitol, but at 21 and 22 days of gestation, Kmf/Dw for 45Ca was significantly higher than Kmf/Dw for [14C]mannitol, indicating that an additional route of transfer, other than diffusion, becomes available to calcium during this period. Northern hybridization analysis demonstrated that rat placental calbindin9K-to-beta-actin mRNA ratio increased 135-fold between 15 and 22 days of gestation and was temporally associated with the gestational increase in Kmf/Dw for 45Ca. In contrast, rat placental Ca(2+)-ATPase-to-beta-actin mRNA ratio increased only two- to threefold over the same gestational period and did not mirror the gestational changes in calcium clearance. These trends suggest that the expression of placental calbindin9K, but not Ca(2+)-ATPase, may be rate limiting to placental calcium transport in the rat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health, University of Manchester, St. Mary's Hospital, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Glazier
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Thornburg
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Sibley
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001692:Biological Transport; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D064026:Calbindins; D002118:Calcium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D008353:Mannitol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D064026:Calbindins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G; D008353:Mannitol; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D002118:Calcium