Chemokine receptor expression by human syncytiotrophoblast - A review

Knowledge of chemokine receptor expression by human syncytiotrophoblast has important implications for our understanding of maternal-fetal HIV transmi ssion as well as for understanding the regulation of placental growth and d evelopment. This review discusses what is known about chemokine receptor ex pression bg trophoblast and other placental cells. In addition, new data ar e presented showing that CXCR4 is expressed on the syncytiotrophoblast surf ace. In other new studies, leukocyte-mediated HIV-1(Lai) (an X4 strain) inf ection of syncytiotrophoblast cultures was reduced when stromal derived fac tor-1 alpha was added to the cocultures, consistent with a role for CXCR4. The available information on chemokine receptor expression bp trophoblast i s discussed in terms of the apparent selective transmission of R5 strains. Studies in other systems indicate that caution must be used in predicting c hemokine receptor usage by different HIV isolates, particularly when the ro ute of infection is cell-mediated. (C) 2001 IFPA and Harcourt Publishers Lt d.