This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Feingold, M. Articles by Hambartsoumian, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Feingold, M. Articles by Hambartsoumian, E.

Expression of Wilms’ Tumor Suppressor Gene (WT1) in Term Human Trophoblast: Regulation by Cyclic Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate¹

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine (M.F., M.Z., E.H.); and the Faulkner Center for Reproductive Medicine (M.Z., R.K.S., M.M.S., S.B.-A., E.H.), Harvard/Deaconess Surgical Service, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02130

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Michael Feingold, M.D., Boston Medical Center, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, One Boston Medical Center Place, Harrison Avenue Campus, Dowling 3 South, Boston, Massachusetts 02118.

The Wilms’ tumor suppressor gene (WT1), which is deleted in some Wilms’ tumors, encodes a zinc finger transcription factor. We studied WT1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in human term placenta and cytotrophoblasts differentiating into syncytiotrophoblasts in vitro by RT-PCR. The results suggest that WT1 mRNA is expressed in the trophoblasts in a cell-specific fashion. WT1 mRNA expression has been observed to decline remarkably in trophoblast cells after 72 h, when these cells are morphologically differentiated into multinucleated syncytiotrophoblasts. As it is well known that cAMP as a second messenger plays a significant role in cellular proliferation and differentiation of placental cells, we examined the effect of 8-bromo-cAMP on WT1 mRNA expression in undifferentiated cytotrophoblasts and differentiated syncytiotrophoblasts. We observed that cAMP enhanced WT1 mRNA expression in cytotrophoblasts, but remained ineffective in altering WT1 mRNA in syncytiotrophoblasts. In summary, the results of this investigation demonstrate that the WT1 gene is developmentally regulated during trophoblast differentiation. An involvement of the cAMP-mediated system in regulating the WT1 gene in the trophoblast is suggested.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Ferretti, F. Arturi, T. Mattei, A. Scipioni, G. Tell, E. Tosi, I. Presta, R. Morisi, L. Lacroix, A. Gulino, et al. Expression, Regulation, and Function of Paired-Box Gene 8 in the Human Placenta and Placental Cancer Cell Lines Endocrinology, September 1, 2005; 146(9): 4009 - 4015. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Debieve and K. Thomas Control of the human inhibin {alpha} chain promoter in cytotrophoblast cells differentiating into syncytium Mol. Hum. Reprod., March 1, 2002; 8(3): 262 - 270. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Makrigiannakis, G. Coukos, A. Mantani, P. Prokopakis, G. Trew, R. Margara, R. Winston, and J. White Expression of Wilms' Tumor Suppressor Gene (WT1) in Human Endometrium: Regulation through Decidual Differentiation J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2001; 86(12): 5964 - 5972. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]