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From the Department of Gynecopathology, Institute of
Pathology,*
the Department of Clinical
Chemistry,
and the Clinic of Internal
Medicine,
University Hospital Eppendorf,
Hamburg, Germany; the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology,§
Alexandra Maternity Hospital,
University of Athens, Athens, Greece; the Division of Human
Reproduction,¶
Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology and the Center for Research on Reproduction and Womens
Health, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; and the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology,||
IVF Unit, Imperial College School of Science
and Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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During development of the human placenta, the stem cell-like cytotrophoblast proliferates and gives rise to the differentiated syncytiotrophoblast on the villous surface and to the invasive intermediate trophoblast, which invades the maternal tissues and provides the anchoring of the placenta and the conceptus at the maternal-fetal interface.1 The extravillous trophoblast can be further divided into proximal extravillous trophoblast originating from the anchoring villi; deep interstitial extravillous trophoblast invading the decidual stroma and the myometrium; and endovascular trophoblast, which assumes endothelial-like characteristics.2-4
Starting with the initial contact which is made between the trophoblast and the apical plasma membrane of the endometrial surface epithelial cells, through the invasion of the decidua and the invasion of decidual vessels with gradual colonization of the arterial wall of the spiral arteries, cellular contacts mediated by cell adhesion molecules are of essential importance.
Cell adhesion molecules are important mediators of tissue architecture and cellular polarity which also modulate proliferation and differentiation processes. CEACAM1 is a member of the carcinoembryonic antigen family and the immunoglobulin superfamily.5 Glycoproteins belonging to this family are expressed in epithelial tissues, such as the colonic mucosa, as well as in cells of the myeloid lineage.5 CEACAM16 is the human homologue of the adhesion molecule cell-CAM (C-CAM) of the rat7,8 and it has been suggested to function as a ligand for E-selectin.9 In contrast to most of the genes of the carcinoembryonic antigen family, the CEACAM1 gene predicts a cytoplasmic domain containing sequence motifs involved in signal transduction10,11 which has been shown to associate with pp60 c-src.12
The present study was designed to investigate the expression pattern of CEACAM1 in the human placental components and thus its potential implication in implantation and placentation. To investigate the expression of CEACAM1, immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded specimens and flow cytometry on isolated trophoblast was performed using the mAb 4D1/C2,13,14 which had been previously used to study expression in several normal human tissues,15 as well as expression in normal and malignant mammary gland and in endometrial neoplasia.16,17
| Materials and Methods |
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The tissue material was selected after histological review from the files of the Department of Gynecopathology, University Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, as well as from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Only normal placentas have been included. For immunohistochemistry, the specimens that had been routinely fixed in 4% buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin were used. Fifty-five samples were analyzed, including 33 first trimester, 10 second trimester, and 12 third trimester placentas.
Immunohistochemistry
Serial sections of 4 to 6 µm were cut from the paraffin blocks and mounted on 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilan (APES)-coated slides, deparaffinized in xylene, and rehydrated in graded alcohol to Tris-buffered saline (TBS; 50 mmol/L Tris, 150 mmol/L NaCl, pH 7.4). The slides were microwaved for 5 x 2 minutes in 10 mmol/L citrate, pH 6.0. After cooling down for 20 minutes, the slides were washed in TBS, blocked for 30 minutes at room temperature with normal goat serum (DAKO, Glostrup, Denmark), diluted 1:20 in TBS, and incubated overnight at 4°C with mAb 4D1/C2 at 4 µg/ml diluted 1:100 in TBS for the detection of CEACAM1. For immunohistochemical characterization of intermediate trophoblasts, slides were additionally incubated with anti-cytokeratin mAb (DAKO) diluted 1:50 in TBS and/or anti-human placental lactogen polyclonal antibody (DAKO) diluted 1.300 in TBS. Nonimmune murine serum (DAKO) at the same dilution was used for negative control. Slides were then reacted with biotin-labeled anti-mouse or anti-rabbit immunoglobulin (IgG), incubated with preformed ABC-complex (Vectastain; Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA) and detected with the alkaline phosphatase substrate kit (for CEACAM1 and cytokeratin) or the DAB kit (for human placental lactogen) (Vectastain; Vector Laboratories). The slides were counterstained with hemalaun and mounted with glycerine/gelatin.
Additionally, an alternative detection method was used for the detection of CEACAM1. For this, paraffin-embedded human placental tissue section slides were deparaffinized at 70°C in xylene, rehydrated through a graded ethanol series, and rinsed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (pH 7.4). Sections were treated with 0.1% hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes at 20°C (to inactivate endogenous peroxidase activity), and washed in PBS. Sections were then digested with prewarmed pepsin (0.65 mg/ml in PBS) at 40°C for 5 minutes, preincubated with 5% blocking serum (normal goat serum; Vector Laboratories), and then incubated with the primary antibody for 1 hour at room temperature. Localization of the primary antibody was performed by incubation of the sections with a biotinylated anti-mouse IgG antibody, and then biotin was detected using an avidin-biotin-peroxidase kit (Vector Laboratories) with diaminobenzidine as the chromogenic substrate. Negative control sections were processed in an identical manner by substitution of the primary antibody with a purified mouse IgG fraction.
Isolation of Invasive and Noninvasive Trophoblast Populations
Cultures of first trimester invasive and noninvasive trophoblast populations were established and characterized as reported earlier.18 Briefly, 8 to 10 placentas (5 to 12 weeks) obtained after legal termination of pregnancy were washed in sterile phosphate-buffered saline (s-PBS) and areas rich in chorionic villi were selected and minced between scalpel blades and were subjected to three sequential 10-minute treatments with 0.125% trypsin and 0.2 mg/ml DNase I (Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany) in s-PBS containing 5 mmol/L MgCl2. Cells released from each 10-minute step were pooled and filtered through two layers of muslin, resuspended in 70% Percoll (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) at a density of 2 x 105 cells/ml, and put under 20 ml of 25% Percoll. Ten ml of s-PBS were put on top of the 25% Percoll and a gradient was established by centrifuging for 20 minutes at 2000 revolutions/minute. Cells from the middle band (density, 1.048 to 1.062 g/ml) of the gradient were pooled, washed in s-PBS, and seeded at a density of 1 x 106 cells/ml of keratinocyte growth medium (KGM) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum.
Characterization of Isolated Trophoblast Populations
Cells were identified as being trophoblast by immunocytochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies to cytokeratin (Dako-cytokeratin, MNF 116 and 35BH11, 1:100; DAKO) as well as E-cadherin (HECD-1; Takara Shuzo Co., Shiga, Japan) which stains only trophoblasts in the placenta19 and by their differential surface expression of antigens, such as major histocompatibility (using anti-MHC, W6/32, 1:50; DAKO) class 1 and hyaluronic acid (NDOG1, diluted 1:10; Serotec, Kidlington, UK), as previously described.18
In Vitro Invasion Assay
The invasive characteristics of the extravillous trophoblast cells were determined using an in vitro Matrigel invasion assay as described18,20 using transwells with a polycarbonate filter of 2.5-cm diameter and 8-µm pore size. The upper surface of the filter was coated with Matrigel (Collaborative Research, Bedford, MA; diluted 1:20 with KGM). The bottom chamber was filled with 3 ml of KGM containing 10% fetal calf serum. Trophoblast cells, labeled for 72 hours with 10 µCi/ml 3H-thymidine in KGM, were trypsinized, washed, and resuspended at a density of 1.0 x 105 cells/ml KGM containing 10% fetal calf serum, and 2 ml of the labeled cell suspension was added to the upper well of the Transwell chamber. After 72 hours of incubation, the invasive index was calculated as the amount of radioactivity (disintegrations/minute) from the lower wells divided by the sum of the total radioactivity from both the upper well and lower wells plus the filter.
FACS Analysis: Flow Cytometrical Analysis of Human Extravillous Trophoblast Cells
Flow cytometry proceeded as described.21 The isolated human first trimester extravillous trophoblasts were washed in PBS with 0.1% bovine serum albumin (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO), sedimented by centrifugation and incubated with the anti-C-CAM antibody, or the purified mouse IgG3 (control, 100 mg/ml) for 1 hour at 4°C. After washing with PBS, the cell pellet was incubated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated goat-anti-mouse IgG, for 30 minutes at 4°C in the dark. After washing in PBS, the cells were analyzed using an EPICS XL flow cytometer (Coulter Corp., Hialeah, FL). The analysis was performed at least seven times for each analyzed cell type.
Western Blot Analysis
Extraction of proteins from endometrial tissue (used as a positive control) and villous and extravillous trophoblast cells was carried out in PBS in the presence of 1% NP40 and protease inhibitors as previously described.17 Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed in 7.5% polyacrylamide gel under reducing conditions, applying 50 µg of each sample of the concentrated protein extract. After electrophoretic transfer to nitrocellulose and blocking in TBS containing 5% bovine serum albumin for 2 hours, CEACAM1-specific mAb 4D1/C2 was added to a final concentration of 1 µg/ml and incubated overnight at 4°C. Detection was carried out with a goat-anti-mouse alkaline phosphatase coupled antibody applying the chemiluminescent substrate and enhancer kit (Pierce, Rockford, IL). Films (Hyperfilm; Amersham, Braunschweig, Germany) were exposed for 15 minutes.
| Results |
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Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin-embedded samples
with the mAb 4D1/C2, which specifically recognizes only CEACAM1 but not
other antigens of the CD66 cluster13-15
and detection was
performed using two different procedures, which both led to specific
and similar results. Results of the immunohistochemical analysis are
presented in Figure 1
(AF) and are
summarized in Table 1
.
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As can be observed in Figure 1A
, CEACAM1 is expressed in the
endometrium of first trimester pregnancy in epithelial cells of the
endometrial glands, with a strong expression level and an apical
localization. CEACAM1 was also expressed at the apical poles of surface
epithelial cells (not shown here; this aspect was previously described
and shown in Ref. 17
). Stromal cells are negative for CEACAM1, as shown
in Figure 1A
. Interestingly, as can be observed in Figure 1A
, small
vessels within the uterine stroma are CEACAM1-positive.
Expression of CEACAM1 in Placental Structures
Representative results of immunohistochemical detection of CEACAM1
in placental structures are shown in Figure 1, B to F
. As can be
observed in Figure 1, B to E
, CEACAM1 is not expressed in the villous
mesenchyme and neither in villous cyto- nor in syncytiotrophoblasts.
Strong specific expression is observed in the intermediate (invasive)
trophoblast. Note expression in an intermediate trophoblast island
(Figure 1B)
, in invasive trophoblast at the implantation site (Figure 1, C and D)
and in a capping mass (Figure 1E)
. Using an alternative
detection method (DAB-kit, see Materials and Methods) resulting
in a brown coloring of the expressed protein also showed specific
localization in the same structures (data not shown). This expression
pattern was maintained throughout pregnancy, but expression in the
intermediate trophoblast could best be observed in samples from the
first two trimesters for reasons of tissue availability.
Interestingly, as shown in Figure 1F
, CEACAM1 expression was also
observed in endothelial cells of placental villous core vessels.
Expression in placental vessels appeared to be stronger toward the end
of pregnancy (Figure 1F
shows a sample from the third trimester).
FACS Analysis: Flow Cytometrical Analysis of Human Extravillous Trophoblast Cells
Flow cytometry analysis using the mAb 4D17C2 was performed on
cultivated villous cyto- and syncytiotrophoblasts and on extravillous
trophoblasts which had been characterized with an invasive phenotype.
Data from representative experiments are shown in Figure 2
. Flow cytometric analysis confirms
expression of CEACAM1 in only extravillous invasive trophoblast,
whereas villous cyto- and syncytotrophoblasts are negative (Figure 2)
.
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Western blot analysis using the mAb 4D17C2 was performed on
cultivated villous trophoblasts and on extravillous trophoblasts which
had been characterized with an invasive phenotype. Endometrium protein
extract was used as a positive control. A representative Western blot
is shown in Figure 3
. Western blot
analysis confirms expression of CEACAM1 in only extravillous invasive
trophoblasts, whereas villous trophoblasts are negative (Figure 3)
. The
molecular weight of the protein is the same as in the positive control
(endometrium).
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| Discussion |
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4ß1 and
vß3) are specifically expressed at the maternal-fetal
interface during the implantation window.24
The invasive
trophoblast was also shown to specifically express Mel-CAM, an adhesion
molecule of the immunoglobulin family, which might be implicated in
mediating such interactions as well.25 Another possible role for CEACAM1 could be in mediating the adhesive interaction between the extravillous trophoblast and the endothelial cells of maternal vessels, thus enabling the invasion of these vessels by trophoblasts, which gain endothelial-like qualities.4 Such a role could recently be described for the platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, which was found to be specifically expressed in extravillous interstitial and endovascular trophoblasts, and was absent from villous cyto- and syncytiotrophoblast.26 Furthermore, CEACAM1 could play a role in angiogenesis of both endometrial and/or placental vessels, which have both been shown to express CEACAM1. This assumption is supported by recent evidence which strongly suggests that CEACAM1 is a potent angiogenic factor.27 Expression of the rat homologue of CEACAM1, cell-CAM105, has previously been described at the trophoderm surface of rat blastocysts,28 as well as at the apical surface of rat uterine epithelium29 which implicates that it could also play a role in the implantation process in this species. However, in rat blastocysts, cell-CAM105 seemed to be lost or masked from the surface of the mural trophoblast cells of adhesive-stage blastocysts,28 indicating that its absence or masking, rather than its presence, might be important for this stage of development in rats. Our study was focused on implantation sites from first trimester human placentas, and thus a direct comparison with these data is not possible. However, the presence of CEACAM1 at the implantation sites in first trimester human placentas implicates that, in humans and at this stage, the presence and not the absence of CEACAM1 is probably important for implantation.
| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Accepted for publication December 21, 1999.
| References |
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