title: Transcriptomic signatures of villous cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast in term human placenta.
abstract: During pregnancy, the placenta ensures multiple functions, which are directly involved in the initiation, fetal growth and outcome of gestation. The placental tissue involved in maternal-fetal exchanges and in synthesis of pregnancy hormones is the mononucleated villous cytotrophoblast (VCT) which aggregates and fuses to form and renew the syncytiotrophoblast (ST). Knowledge of the gene expression pattern specific to this endocrine and exchanges tissue of human placenta is of major importance to understand functions of this heterogeneous and complex tissue. Therefore, we undertook a global analysis of the gene expression profiles of primary cultured-VCT (n = 6) and in vitro-differentiated-ST (n = 5) in comparison with whole term placental tissue from which mononucleated VCT were isolated. A total of 880 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were observed between VCT/ST compared to whole placenta, and a total of 37 and 137 genes were significantly up and down-regulated, respectively, in VCT compared to ST. The 37 VCT-genes were involved in cellular processes (assembly, organization, and maintenance), whereas the 137 ST-genes were associated with lipid metabolism and cell morphology. In silico, all networks were linked to 3 transcriptional regulators (PPARγ, RARα and NR2F1) which are known to be essential for trophoblast differentiation. A subset of six DEG was validated by RT-qPCR and four by immunohistochemistry. To conclude, recognition of these pathways is fundamental to increase our understanding of the molecular basis of human trophoblast differentiation. The present study provides for the first time a gene expression signature of the VCT and ST compared to their originated term human placental tissue.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR-S 872, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe 7 Nutriomique, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris, Paris, F-75006, France; Fondation PremUp, Paris, F-75006, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rouault
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR-S 872, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe 7 Nutriomique, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris, Paris, F-75006, France; Fondation PremUp, Paris, F-75006, France; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Pitié Salpétrière Hospital, Nutrition and Endocrinology Department, Paris, F-75013, France.
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clément
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR-S1139, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, F-75006, France.
authors.forename: Mickael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guesnon
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR-S 872, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe 7 Nutriomique, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris, Paris, F-75006, France.
authors.forename: Corneliu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henegar
authors.affiliation: Fondation PremUp, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, F-75006, France; INSERM, UMR1153 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Sorbonne Paris Cité Center, Early ORigin of the Child's Health and Development Team (ORCHAD), Paris, F-75014, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Aline
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.affiliation: Fondation PremUp, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, F-75006, France; INSERM, UMR1153 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Sorbonne Paris Cité Center, Early ORigin of the Child's Health and Development Team (ORCHAD), Paris, F-75014, France.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heude
authors.affiliation: Fondation PremUp, Paris, F-75006, France; INSERM, UMR-S1139, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, F-75006, France.
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Evain-Brion
authors.affiliation: Fondation PremUp, Paris, F-75006, France; INSERM, UMR-S1139, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, F-75006, France.
authors.forename: Séverine A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Degrelle
authors.affiliation: Fondation PremUp, Paris, F-75006, France; INSERM, UMR-S1139, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Paris, F-75006, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, F-75006, France. Electronic address: thierry.fournier@parisdescartes.fr.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fournier
mesh_terms: D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047929:Term Birth; D059467:Transcriptome; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Gene expression pattern; Maternal-fetal exchanges; Pregnancy hormones; Trophoblast differentiation; cDNA microarray