HUMAN PLACENTA AND FETAL MEMBRANES EXPRESS HUMAN UROCORTIN MESSENGER-RNA AND PEPTIDE

Recently a new member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) fami ly has been cloned and named urocortin. it has been localized in rat b rain and to human chromosome 2. The present study investigated whether human placenta and related tissues express mRNA and immunoreactive ur ocortin. Using specific oligonucleotide primers, reverse transcriptase -polymerase chain reaction experiments were performed on total RNA iso lated from human placenta and decidua collected both at early stage of gestation (8-11 weeks) and at term (39-40 weeks). In addition, experi ments were also done on specimens of amnion and chorion collected at t erm. Independently from the gestational age, placental and decidual ce lls expressed urocortin mRNA, with a 145 bp DNA band corresponding to the expected length. The expression of urocortin mRNA was also found i n amnion and chorion. Using specific antiserum and an immunoperoxidase technique, immunoreactive urocortin was then localized in syncytiotro phoblast cells and in some extent in cytotrophoblast cells of placenta l villi at term, as well as in fetal membranes and maternal decidua. T he present findings revealed that human placenta and gestational relat ed tissues express human urocortin gene and localize immunoreactive ur ocortin, supporting the concept that these tissues are capable of expr essing a large number of neuroendocrine peptides.