Ando N, Hirahara F, Fukushima J, Kawamoto S, Okuda K, Funabashi T, Gorai I, Minaguchi H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Japan.
Am J Reprod Immunol. 1998 Jul;40(1):48-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.1998.tb00388.x.
The transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta s are multifunctional cytokines, and they play a role in the controlled growth of trophoblasts. Moreover they are thought to be important in maternal-fetal interaction during early gestation.
Human decidual and villous tissues in the first trimester were Northern blotted and amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to measure the expression of TGF-beta 1, -beta 2, and -beta 3 and their receptors, types I and II, at the first trimester of pregnancy. In addition, their cell-specific expression at the maternal-fetal interface was determined by in situ hybridization.
Each isoform of TGF-beta was expressed in both decidual and villous tissues. Because most TGF-beta 1 gene expression was found in villous tissues, TGF-beta 2 mRNA was expressed preferentially in the decidual tissues. TGF-beta 3 transcripts were expressed in the nonpregnant endometrium.
The results suggest that each isoform of TGF-beta plays some specific role in decidualization and placentation. Furthermore, it is predicted that they regulate the maternal-fetal interaction at early gestation.
