title: Identification of committed placental stem cell lines for studies of differentiation.
abstract: Trophoblasts provide a model to investigate fundamental mechanisms of stem cell differentiation, but the availability of trophoblast stem cell lines is limited. Here we report the development of an RT-PCR-based lineage-specific profile as a method to identify the lineages of placental trophoblast cells routinely and specifically. This profiling method was used to analyze the mouse SM10 and rat HRP-1 cell lines, isolated from a region of the placental labyrinth, but of previously unidentified lineage. Using this profile, the expression of trophoblast stem cell markers was detected in the SM10 and HRP-1 cells. In contrast, no expression of a marker of differentiated labyrinthine trophoblast was detected. Additionally, both cell lines expressed labyrinthine trophoblast-specific genes and did not express lineage-specific markers of spongiotrophoblasts or trophoblast giant cells. Our results suggest that SM10 and HRP-1 cell lines are trophoblast stem cell-like cell lines that can be maintained in undifferentiated but committed state in cell culture. These cell lines express labyrinthine-specific genes and are committed to differentiate solely into functional labyrinthine trophoblasts. Our profiling method provides a new technique to identify stem cells and their lineage-specific differentiation. This method additionally indicates that SM10 and HRP-1 cell lines provide new systems for future studies of stem cell differentiation, allowing investigation of basic mechanisms of differentiation, which may provide insights into the biophysics of development of a specialized system. This method should also prove to be useful for identification of other stem cell lines and examination of lineage-specific commitment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, OH 45435, USA.
authors.forename: Kaisa L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Selesniemi
authors.forename: Meredith A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reedy
authors.forename: Amy D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Gultice
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D019070:Cell Lineage; D048430:Cell Shape; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C088334:Distal-less homeobox proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors