title: Lipid rafts and cytoskeletal proteins in placental microvilli membranes from preeclamptic and IUGR pregnancies.
abstract: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preeclampsia (PE) are leading causes of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Previously we reported the expression of lipid rafts in classical microvillous membrane (MVM) and light microvillous membrane (LMVM), two subdomains in apical membrane from the human placental syncytiotrophoblast (hSTB), which constitute the epithelium responsible for maternal-fetal transport. Here the aim was to study the raft and cytoskeletal proteins from PE and IUGR. Microdomains from MVM and LMVM were tested with raft markers (placental alkaline phosphatase, lipid ganglioside, and annexin 2) and a nonraft marker (hTf-R). No changes were detected with those markers in whole purified apical membranes in normal, PE, and IUGR pregnancies; however, their patterns of distribution in lipid rafts were different in PE and IUGR. Cholesterol depletion modified their segregation, confirming their presence in lipid rafts, although unlike normal placenta, in these pathologies there is only one type of microdomain. Additionally, the cytoskeleton proteins actin, ezrin, and cytokeratin-7 showed clear differences between normal and pathological membranes. Cytokeratin-7 expression decreased to 50% in PE, and the distribution between LMVM and MVM (~43 and 57%, respectively) changed in both PE and IUGR, in contrast with the asymmetrical enrichment obtained in normal LMVM (~62%). In conclusion, lipid rafts from IUGR and PE have different features compared to rafts from normal placentae, and this is associated with alterations in the expression and distribution of cytoskeletal proteins.
authors.affiliation: Depto. de Fisiología y Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 70005, Santiago 7, Chile. griquelm@med.uchile.cl
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Riquelme
authors.forename: Catalina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vallejos
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Gregorio
authors.forename: Bárbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Godoy
authors.forename: Macarena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berrios
authors.forename: Noelia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bastías
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D053552:Keratin-7 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008871:Microvilli / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000099149:Ezrin
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015415:Biomarkers; D002784:Cholesterol; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D053552:Keratin-7; D000099149:Ezrin