title: Hypoxia regulates the expression of fatty acid-binding proteins in primary term human trophoblasts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fatty acids (FAs) are essential for fetal development. Cellular FA uptake is modulated by fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs). We hypothesized that hypoxia regulates the expression of FABPs in human trophoblasts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary term human trophoblasts were cultured for 72 hours in either standard (O2 = 20%) or hypoxic (O2 < 1%) conditions. FABP expression was interrogated using polymerase chain reaction and Western immunoblotting. Trophoblast lipid droplets were examined using dipyrromethene boron difluoride 493/503 staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We detected the expression of FABP1, -3, -4, -5, and pm but not FABP2 or FABP6-9 subtypes in trophoblasts. Exposure to hypoxia markedly increased lipid droplet accumulation in trophoblasts. Consistent with this observation, hypoxia enhanced the expression of FABP1, -3, and -4. Lastly, agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma enhanced the expression of FABP1 and -4 in trophoblasts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypoxia enhances the expression of FABP1, -3, and -4 in term human trophoblasts, suggesting that FABPs support fat accumulation in the hypoxic placenta.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Biron-Shental
authors.forename: W Timothy
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Schaiff
authors.forename: Christine K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Ratajczak
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bildirici
authors.forename: D Michael
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Yoel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sadovsky
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017931:DNA Primers; D000074026:Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000378:metabolism*