Characterization of KB cell alkaline phosphatase. Evidence of similarity to placental alkaline phosphatase.

The alkaline phosphatase from KB cells was purified, characterized, and compared to placental alkaline phosphatase, which it resembles immunologically. Two nonidentical nonomeric subunits of the KB phosphatase were found. The two subunits, which have apparent molecular weights of 64,000 and 72,000, can be separated on polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate. The Mr = 64,000 KB subunit appears to be identical in protein structure to the monomer of placental alkaline phosphatase. The Mr = 72,000 KB subunit, while differing in the NH2-terminal amino acid, appears also to be very similar to the placental alkaline phosphatase monomer. Both KB phosphatase subunits bind (32P)phosphate, and bind to Sepharose-bound anti-placental alkaline phosphatase. Native KB phosphatase is identical to the placental isozyme in isoelectric point, pH optimum, and inhibition by amino acids, and has a very similar peptide map. The data presented support the hypothesis that the Mr = 64,000 KB phosphatase subunit may the the same gene product as the monomer of placental alkaline phosphatase. This paper strengthens the evidence that the gene for this fetal protein, normally repressed in all cells but placenta, is derepressed in the KB cell line. In addition, this paper presents the first structural evidence that there are two different subunit proteins comprising the placental-like alkaline phosphatase from a human tumor cell line.     

Hemeoxygenase expression in human placenta and placental bed implies a role in regulation of trophoblast invasion and placental function.

The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of hemeoxygenases HO-1 and HO-2, which are responsible for the production of carbon monoxide (CO), in the human placenta and placental bed and to determine the role of inhibitors of HO on placental perfusion pressure. We hypothesized that HO is expressed within the placenta and that invading cytotrophoblast cells (CTB) express HO isoforms. The expression of HO-1 and HO-2 was studied on placenta and placental bed biopsies, obtained using a transcervical sampling technique, from normal human pregnancies between 8 and 19 wk gestation and at term. In the placenta, HO-2 immunostaining was prominent in syncytiotrophoblast in the first trimester and reduced toward term (P<0.0005). HO-2 endothelial immunostaining was weak in the first trimester, but increased by term (P<0.0005). Within the placental bed, HO-2 was expressed by CTB in cell columns, the cytotrophoblast shell, and cell islands. Both intravascular CTB and interstitial CTB expressed HO-2. HO-1 immunostaining was low in the placenta but intense on the CTB within the placental bed. A striking feature was the absence of HO-1 from the proximal layers of cell columns, with strong expression on the more distal CTB layers of the cell columns. In placental perfusion studies, a significant dose-dependent increase in perfusion pressure was observed in the presence of zinc protoporphyrin, an inhibitor of HO. These results suggest a role for CO in placental function, trophoblast invasion, and spiral artery transformation. Hemeoxygenase expression in human placenta and placental bed implies a role in regulation of trophoblast invasion and placental function.     

Biosynthesis of placental alkaline phosphatase and its post-translational modification by glycophospholipid for membrane-anchoring

The biosynthesis and post-translational modification of placental alkaline phosphatase were studied in human choriocarcinoma cells, JEG-3. Pulse-chase experiments with [35S]methionine demonstrated that placental alkaline phosphatase was synthesized as a major precursor form with Mr 63,000, which was then converted to a mature form with Mr 66,000, by processing of its N-linked oligosaccharides from the high-mannose type to the complex type. In addition, the two forms of the protein were found to be modified by a glycophospholipid, components of which were characterized by metabolic incorporation into placental alkaline phosphatase of 3H-labeled compounds such as myo-inositol, palmitic acid, stearic acid, mannose, glucosamine, and ethanolamine. When placental alkaline phosphatase labeled with these compounds was treated with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C or papain, the phospholipase C removed only the 3H-labeled fatty acids, whereas papain, that is known to cleave the C-terminal region, released all the radioactive glycolipid components including [3H]ethanolamine. More detailed analysis with shorter pulse-chase experiments demonstrated that placental alkaline phosphatase was primarily synthesized as a form with Mr 64,500 which was not yet labeled with [3H]palmitic acid. This form was converted by papain digestion to the above-mentioned major precursor with Mr 63,000. Taken together, these results suggest that placental alkaline phosphatase is initially synthesized as the precursor with Mr 64,500, which is immediately converted to the intermediate form with Mr 63,000 by simultaneously occurring proteolysis of the C terminus and replacement by the glycophospholipid, and finally to the mature form with Mr 66,000 by terminal glycosylation of its N-linked oligosaccharides. The glycophospholipid thus attached is considered to function as the membrane-anchoring domain of placental alkaline phosphatase.     

Conversion of human placental alkaline phosphatase from a high Mr form to a low Mr form during butanol extraction. An investigation of the role of endogenous phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases.

Alkaline phosphatase in a wide range of tissues has been shown to be anchored in the membrane by a specific interaction with the polar head group of phosphatidylinositol. It has previously been suggested that the production of low Mr alkaline phosphatase during the commonly used butanol extraction procedure may result from the activation of an endogenous phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C which removes the 1,2-diacylglycerol responsible for membrane anchoring. This conversion process was investigated in greater detail with human placenta used as the source of alkaline phosphatase. Mr and hydrophobicity of the alkaline phosphatase were determined by gel filtration on TSK-250 and partitioning in Triton X-114, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase extracted from human placental particulate fraction with butanol at pH 5.4 or released by incubation with Staphylococcus aureus phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C produced a form of alkaline phosphatase of Mr approx. 170,000 and relatively low hydrophobicity. By contrast, the butanol extract prepared at pH 8.3 was an aggregated form of Mr approx. 600,000 and was relatively hydrophobic. The effect of a variety of inhibitors and activators on the amount of low Mr alkaline phosphatase produced during butanol extraction revealed that it was a Ca2+- and thiol-dependent process. Proteinase inhibitors had no effect. [3H]Phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis by the particulate fraction, unlike low Mr alkaline phosphatase production, was relatively sensitive to heat inactivation, indicating that the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases C from cytosol and lysosomes were unlikely to be responsible for conversion. A butanol-stimulated activity which removed the [3H]myristic acid from the variant surface glycoprotein ( [3H]mfVSG) of Trypanosoma brucei was detectable in the human placental particulate fraction. Since this activity was acid active, Ca2+- and thiol-dependent and relatively heat stable, it may be the same as that responsible for production of low Mr alkaline phosphatase. The only 3H-labelled product identified was phosphatidic acid, suggesting that the [3H]mfVSG-cleaving activity is a phospholipase D. These data strongly support the proposal that production of low Mr alkaline phosphatase during butanol extraction is an autolytic process occurring as the result of an endogenous phospholipase. However, they also suggest that the lysosomal and cytosolic phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases C that have previously been described in many mammalian tissues are not responsible for this process.     

Gestational and hormonal regulation of human placental lipoprotein lipase

The fetal demand for FFA increases as gestation proceeds, and LPL represents one potential mechanism for increasing placental lipid transport. We examined LPL activity and protein expression in first trimester and term human placenta. The LPL activity was 3-fold higher in term (n = 7; P < 0.05) compared with first trimester (n = 6) placentas. The LPL expression appeared lower in microvillous membrane from first trimester (n = 2) compared with term (n = 2) placentas. We incubated isolated placental villous fragments with a variety of effectors [GW 1929, estradiol, insulin, cortisol, epinephrine, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha] for 1, 3, and 24 h to investigate potential regulatory mechanisms. Decreased LPL activity was observed after 24 h of incubation with estradiol (1 micro g/ml), insulin, cortisol, and IGF-1 (n = 12; P < 0.05). We observed an increase in LPL activity after 3 h of incubation with estradiol (20 ng/ml) or hyperglycemic medium plus insulin (n = 7; P < 0.05). To conclude, we suggest that the gestational increase in placental LPL activity represents an important mechanism to enhance placental FFA transport in late pregnancy. Hormonal regulation of placental LPL activity by insulin, cortisol, IGF-1, and estradiol may be involved in gestational changes and in alterations in LPL activity in pregnancies complicated by altered fetal growth.     

Synthesis of human placental lactogen messenger RNA as a function of gestation.

It was shown previously that 4 to 5 times more human placental lactogen (hPL) was synthesized in cell-free extracts from term placentae than in comparable extracts prepared from first trimester tissue. In an attempt to define what accounts for this differential rate of synthesis RNA was prepared from first trimester and term placentae. Following purification through an oligo(dT)-cellulose column, these RNA preparations were tested for their ability to direct the synthesis of the hPL precursor in the wheat germ cell-free system. With similar amounts of first trimester and term mRNA, the overall efficiency as defined by the stimulation of total amino acid incorporation was comparable. However, there was approximately 4 times more hPL synthesized in the presence of term RNA. This was assessed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and tryptic fingerprinting. The peak of the hPL precursor messenger activity sedimented at 12 to 13 S on sucrose gradient. Analysis of the RNA by formamide-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis further supported this value. The data indicate that the increased synthesis of hPL at term reflects greater levels of hPL mRNA in term tissue than in first trimester tissue. The data also show that the overall in vivo levels of hPL can be correlated not only with the increase in placental syncytial mass during pregnancy but also in the greater proportion of hPL synthesized per g of tissue. The latter results from the continual differentiation of the placenta occurring throughout gestation.     

Glucose metabolism by human placental villi

1. Glucose phosphorylation rates of about 1 mumole/g./min. have been measured at room temperature in homogenates of human placental chorionic villi, and these rates are relatively constant throughout gestation. 2. This reaction has an apparent K(m) for glucose of 3x10(-5)m both in early and term placenta. 3. Human foetal membranes, the amnion and chorion, also phosphorylate glucose at a rate about equal to that of the placenta. 4. On incubation of intact bits of villus tissue from 8-12-week or full-term placenta with labelled pyruvate, followed by paper chromatography of the tissue extract, the following distribution of label was observed: residual pyruvate, 40-60%; lactate, 30-50%; glucose, 6%; fructose, 7%; sorbitol, 0.6%. 5. The concept of the placenta acting as a foetal liver during early pregnancy is inconsistent with the observation that glucose production by this organ persists up to term.     

Synthesis and secretion of alkaline phosphatase in vitro from first-trimester and term human placentas.

The synthesis and secretion of alkaline phosphatases in vitro by human placental tissue incubated in organ culture were studied. First-trimester placenta synthesizes and secretes two different alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes (heat-labile and heat-stable), whereas in term placenta nearly all the alkaline phosphatase synthesized and secreted is heat-stable. The specific activities of alkaline phosphatases in first-trimester and term placental tissue remain constant throughout the time course of incubation. In the media, specific activities increase with time. Hence, alkaline phosphatase synthesis seems to be the driving force for its own secretion. The rates of synthesis de novo and of alkaline phosphatases were measured. The specific radioactivities of the secreted alkaline phosphatases were higher than the corresponding specific radioactivities in the tissue throughout the entire incubation period. The intracellular distribution of the alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes was compared.     

Comparative electrophoretic characteristics of alkaline phosphatase isoforms in maternal blood and shaggy chorion extracts at various periods of pregnancy]

A comparative study of enzyme alkaline phosphatase (AP) of plasma and chorion placental extracts was made in various terms of pregnancy by PAAG electrophoresis. It is shown that the first three month chorion extract contained 1 thermolabile (TL) and 1 or 3 thermostable (TS) fractions of AP. In the second trimester of intrauterine development the activity of TL fraction disappeared, the number of TS forms increased. The early plasma period (6-12 weeks) was characterized by 2 TL non-placental forms, from the second half they added to 1 or 3 TS placental fractions, and before delivery TS enzyme appeared in the liver AP which had no analogue in the placenta. It is concluded that only the fastest placental TS AP forms (1 or 3) appear in maternal blood from the second trimester of gestation.     

Isolation and identification of a cDNA clone of rat placental lactogen II

The developing rat placenta expresses two placental lactogens at different stages of pregnancy: rat placental lactogen I from Days 11 to 13 of pregnancy and rat placental lactogen II (rPLII) from Day 12 to term. In this paper, we describe cDNA clones for rPLII, which have been isolated from a Day 18 rat placental cDNA library. The rPLII clones hybrid-select a mRNA which translates in vitro to a protein of 25,000 daltons. This protein is processed by dog pancreatic microsomes to a 22,000-dalton form, identical in size to rPLII isolated from pregnant rat serum. Both forms are precipitated by an anti-rPLII antiserum and an anti-ovine prolactin antiserum. The mRNA for rPLII is first expressed in Day 12 placenta and reaches a maximum at about Day 18 of pregnancy, in parallel with the appearance of the hormone in serum. Sequencing of the cDNA shows that, unlike human placental lactogen which is 85% homologous to human growth hormone at the amino acid level, rPLII is much more closely related to the prolactins. Thus, rPLII is 52% homologous to rat prolactin at the amino acid level, but only 34% related to rat growth hormone. This is the second placental lactogen to be fully characterized, and in the rat this hormone appears to have evolved by a route quite different from that which produced placental lactogen in humans.     

A heat-stable alkaline phosphatase from Penaeus japonicus Bate (Crustacea: Decapoda): a phosphatidylinositol-glycan anchored membrane protein

1. A heat-stable alkaline phosphatase was purified from Penaeus japonicus, with a final specific activity of 21,280 U/mg of protein. 2. In polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions, the purified shrimp alkaline phosphatase was found to have an identical molecular size and surface charge as the human placental enzyme. 3. By using SDS-PAGE, the monomers of shrimp alkaline phosphatase were discovered to have a Mr 55,000 but those of human placental enzyme with a Mr 70,000. Deglycosylation decreases the Mr values of the subunits to 33,000 for shrimp alkaline phosphatase. 4. The purified alkaline phosphatase from shrimp was recovered with both the attachment sites for sialic acids and phosphatidylinositol. 5. The shrimp alkaline phosphatase has an isoelectric point (pI) of 7.6 and the human placental enzyme has a pI of 4.8.     

Differentiation of human adult and fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatases with monoclonal antibodies

Two forms of intestinal alkaline phosphatase have been recognized in humans. They are very similar in a number of biochemical and immunologic characteristics, but the exact genetic relationship between them remains unclear. To further study this problem, six monoclonal antibodies and a polyclonal rabbit antiserum to human fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatase have been produced. All of the monoclonal antibodies and the rabbit antiserum crossreact with adult intestinal alkaline phosphatase and with the intestinal-like alkaline phosphatase found in D98/AH-2 human tissue-culture cells. Four of the monoclonal antibodies and the rabbit antiserum crossreact with placental alkaline phosphatase, while none of the antibodies or the antiserum recognize liver or kidney alkaline phosphatase. Four of the monoclonal antibodies can distinguish between adult and fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatase in electrophoretic titration-binding studies, with the relative binding of adult enzyme being significantly greater than that of the fetal enzyme in each case. One of these antibodies, which also reacts with placental alkaline phosphatase, can distinguish the type 3 allelic variant of the placental enzyme from types 1 and 2. This indicates that the antibody detects a structural difference in the protein moiety of one of the allelic forms of the enzyme. These data suggest that adult and fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatases represent structurally distinct proteins, either encoded for by different genes or produced by differential processing of a common precursor molecule determined by a single gene.     

Comparative biochemical studies of placental alkaline phosphatase in animals (author's transl)]

Biochemical properties of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) from placenta were compared between man, dog, cat, rabbit and cattle. 1) Optimum pH of the enzyme was essentially identical through the species of the animals but the inhibition of L-phenylalanine was clearly demonstrable with human ALP but little with that of other animals. 2) ALP of human placenta was not inactivated by heating at 65 degrees C for 15 min. but one of the other animals was thermolabile. Such thermostability of human placental ALP almost disappeared after treatment with EDTA, suggesting that the divalent metal ions were required for the thermostability. 3) Activities of placental ALP were inhibited by cationsurfactants in human and rat but not in the other animals, while the inhibition by DOC-Na, an anion-surfactant, was seen only in human. 4) The affinity to beta-glycerophosphae of placental ALP was seen only in human.     

Preparation of variant-specific anti-human placental phosphatase antisera by immunoabsorption.

Antiserum raised in rabbits sensitized with purified human placental alkaline phosphatase of the rare FD phenotype was absorbed on purified FF phenotype enzyme conjugated to Sepharose. The absorbed antiserum was not able to bind to the F-variant, but was still capable of binding to the D-variant enzyme, determined by electrophoretic retardation and gel filtration. It therefore appears that some allelic variants of placental phosphatase differ in their antigenic structure.     

Expression in non-lymphoid cells of mouse recombinant immunoglobulin directed against the tumour marker human placental alkaline phosphatase

From a mouse hybridoma cell line secreting a monoclonal antibody directed against the tumour marker human placental alkaline phosphatase, mRNA coding for the H and L chains of this antibody was isolated and cloned as cDNA. Sequence analysis of the H and L chain cDNAs confirmed the IgG2b,kappa subtype previously established. Recloning the H and L chain cDNA information into SV40-based vectors enabled us to obtain expression of functional immunoglobulin upon cotransfection into COS or CHO dhfr- cells. This illustrates that non-lymphoid cells also have the capacity to assemble active immunoglobulins.     

Cloning and characterization of an apoptosis-associated gene in the human placenta

Placenta is a transient feto-maternal association that develops during mammalian pregnancies. Human placental tissue during the first trimester of pregnancy is an actively dividing and differentiating tissue, while near term, it represents a fully differentiated unit performing many life-sustaining functions for the fetus. Previous studies have demonstrated that the percentage of placental cells that undergo apoptosis is greater at full term as compared to the first trimester of pregnancy. In this study, we undertook a study aimed at gaining an insight into the kind of genes expressed in the two developmentally distinct stages of gestation ie, the first trimester and term using Differential Display RT-PCR. Cloning and sequencing of one of the differentially expressed cDNAs from term placental tissue revealed that it is a novel gene, referred to as T-18 in the text. In this study, we also examined the regulation of this gene during apoptosis in the human placenta. A model for analysis of placental apoptosis was established by incubating placental villi in serum-free culture medium. It was observed that apoptosis occurred rapidly following incubation of placental villi without tropic support, and the proposed free-radical scavenger, superoxide dismutase (SOD) suppressed apoptosis in the placenta. Interestingly, the levels of T-18 mRNA increased significantly during spontaneous induction of apoptosis and decreased when apoptosis was blocked by SOD. These data clearly suggest that there is a strong correlation between the expression of T-18 and placental apoptosis and that T-18, may play a significant role in this process. Furthermore, the establishment of a defined in vitro explant culture model should facilitate elucidation of factors, which regulate apoptosis in human placenta.