A placental sub-proteome: The apical plasma membrane of the syncytiotrophoblast

Vandré, D.D.; Ackerman, W.E.; Tewari, A.; Kniss, D.A.; Robinson, J.M.

doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2011.12.010

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Volume 33, Issue 3 , Pages 207-213, March 2012

A placental sub-proteome: The apical plasma membrane of the syncytiotrophoblast

D.D. Vandré
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ohio State University, 304 Hamilton Hall, 1645 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 614 292 4181; fax: +1 614 292 4888.
W.E. Ackerman IV
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Laboratory of Perinatal Research), Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
A. Tewari
- Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
D.A. Kniss
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Laboratory of Perinatal Research), Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
J.M. Robinson
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ohio State University, 304 Hamilton Hall, 1645 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Accepted 13 December 2011. published online 06 January 2012.

Abstract

As a highly vascularized tissue, the placenta mediates gas and solute exchange between maternal and fetal circulations. In the human placenta, the interface with maternal blood is a unique epithelial structure known as the syncytiotrophoblast. Previously we developed a colloidal-silica based method to generate highly enriched preparations of the apical plasma membrane of the syncytiotrophoblast. Using similar preparations, a proteomics assessment of this important sub-proteome has identified 340 proteins as part of this apical membrane fraction. The expression of 38 of these proteins was previously unknown in the human placental syncytiotrophoblast. Together with previous studies, the current proteomic database expands our knowledge of the proteome of the syncytiotrophoblast apical plasma membrane from normal placentas to include more than 500 proteins. This database is a valuable resource for future comparisons to diseased placentas. Additionally, this data set provides a basis for further experimental studies of placenta and trophoblast function.

Keywords: Placenta, Syncytiotrophoblast, Proteomics, Placental proteomics, Cationic colloidal silica