Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK.
The Paul Mellon Laboratory, 'Brunswick', 18 Woodditton Road, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 9BJ, UK.
Placenta. 2017 Oct;58:115-121. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2017.08.075. Epub 2017 Sep 4.
In this study, we compare glycosylation at the fetomaternal interface in 3 equine species: horse, donkey and zebra, all of which can interbreed to produce hybrids, to assess their glycan similarities and differences.
Sections cut from 3 specimens of horse (Equus caballus) placenta (50, 200 and 280 days gestation), one donkey (Equus asinus) placenta (65 cm crown-rump length) and 5 specimens of zebra (Equus quagga) placentae (81-239 days gestation) were stained with a panel of 24 biotinylated lectins using an avidin-peroxidase revealing system.
There were only slight quantitative differences in the lectin histochemistry at the feto-maternal interface between all three specimens; zebra placentae expressed more α2,6-linked sialic acid, with α1,2fucosyl residues at the microvillous interface. However, zebra trophoblast showed histological differences from the other two species, with polarised cells, prominent supranuclear Golgi bodies, and fewer intracellular granules.
Our findings appear to confirm the hypothesis that closely related, interbreeding species with epitheliochorial placentae express similar glycans at the feto-maternal interface, thereby supporting the existence of a placental glycocode. We also observed intraspecies evolutionary diversion to be associated with a different histological architecture and the absence of significant intracellular granules.
在这项研究中，我们比较了三种马科动物（马、驴和斑马）在胎-母界面的糖基化，这三种动物都可以杂交产生杂种，以评估它们的糖基相似性和差异性。
从 3 个马（Equus caballus）胎盘（妊娠 50、200 和 280 天）、1 个驴（Equus asinus）胎盘（65 厘米头臀长）和 5 个斑马（Equus quagga）胎盘的标本中切取切片，用 24 种生物素标记的凝集素进行染色，使用亲和素-过氧化物酶显示系统。
在所有三个标本的胎-母界面处，只有轻微的定量差异在凝集素组织化学中；斑马胎盘表达更多的α2,6-连接唾液酸，在微绒毛界面有α1,2-岩藻糖残基。然而，斑马滋养层与其他两种物种有组织学差异，表现为极化细胞、明显的核上高尔基体和较少的细胞内颗粒。
我们的发现似乎证实了这样一种假设，即密切相关、杂交的、有上皮绒毛膜胎盘的物种在胎-母界面表达相似的聚糖，从而支持胎盘糖码的存在。我们还观察到，种内进化的分化与不同的组织学结构和缺乏明显的细胞内颗粒有关。
