Retinoic acid promotes differentiation of trophoblast stem cells to a giant cell fate

Citation
Jl. Yan et al., Retinoic acid promotes differentiation of trophoblast stem cells to a giant cell fate, DEVELOP BIO, 235(2), 2001, pp. 422-432
Citations number
45
Categorie Soggetti
Cell & Developmental Biology
Journal title
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
ISSN journal
00121606 → ACNP
Volume
235
Issue
2
Year of publication
2001
Pages
422 - 432
Database
ISI
SICI code
0012-1606(20010715)235:2<422:RAPDOT>2.0.ZU;2-0
Abstract
Trophoblast stem cell (TS cell) lines have the ability to differentiate int o trophoblast subtypes in vitro and contribute to the formation of placenta in chimeras. In order to investigate the possible role of retinoic acid (R A) in placentation, we analyzed the effects of exogenous RA on TS cells in vitro and the developing ectoplacental cone in vivo. TS cells expressed all subtypes of the retinoid receptor family, with the exception of RAR beta, whose expression was stimulated in response to RA, TS cells treated with RA were compromised in their ability to proliferate and exhibited properties of differentiation into trophoblast giant cells. During TS cell differentia tion into trophoblast subtypes induced by withdrawal of FGF4, RA treatment further illustrated its role in the specification of cell fate by the promo tion of differentiation into giant cells and the suppression of spongiotrop hoblast formation. Moreover, administration of RA during pregnancy resulted in the overabundance of giant cells at the expense of spongiotrophoblast c ells. RA hereby acts as an extracellular signal whose potential function ca n be Linked to specification events mediating trophoblast cell fate, Taken together with the spatial patterns of giant-cell formation and RA synthesis in vivo, these findings implicate a function for RA in giant-cell formatio n during placentation. (C) 2001 Academic Press.