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The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 84, No. 2 695-701
Copyright © 1999 by The Endocrine Society


Original Studies

Diabetes Alters the Expression and Activity of the Human Placental GLUT1 Glucose Transporter1

Kecia Gaither, Abid N. Quraishi and Nicholas P. Illsley

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey- New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey 07103

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Nicholas P. Illsley, D.Phil., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Sciences Building, E506, University of Medicine and Dentistry-New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, New Jersey 07103-2714. E-mail: illsleni{at}umdnj.edu


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
This study was designed to investigate the effects of maternal diabetes on glucose transporter expression and glucose transport activity in the human placenta. Syncytiotrophoblast microvillous and basal membranes were prepared from placental tissue obtained at term from pregestational diabetics (White class B) and gestational diabetics controlled either by diet alone (class A1) or by diet and insulin (class A2). These membranes were used to measure GLUT1 glucose transporter expression and D-glucose transport activity. Diabetic groups showed no differences in placental weights or neonatal birth weights compared to controls, although 8 of 25 diabetic fetuses were macrosomic. Glycemic control in the diabetics at term, as assessed by maternal glycosylated hemoglobin, was within normal limits. Basal membrane GLUT1 density was about 2-fold higher in all diabetic groups compared to that in controls, as measured by immuoblotting, whereas no changes were found for the microvillous membranes. D-Glucose uptake across the basal membrane was increased by 40% in the diabetic groups; no changes were observed for the microvillous membrane. These results demonstrate that diabetes causes an increase in basal membrane GLUT1 expression and activity that persists despite a lack of evidence for current or recent maternal hyperglycemia. This suggests the potential for an extended increase in transplacental glucose flux in the absence of maternal hyperglycemia, which may contribute to fetal macrosomia and the other consequences of diabetic pregnancy.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
BEYOND the recognized increases in perinatal morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes in pregnancy, there is epidemiological evidence to suggest that poor fetal growth is correlated with an increased risk of noninsulin-dependent diabetes in adulthood (1, 2). Pregestational and gestational diabetes have been associated with an increased incidence of obesity, a risk factor for adult diabetes (3, 4). Even at levels of maternal glycemia considered to be within the normal range, there is an increased incidence of pregnancy complications such as macrosomia (5). Other studies suggest that gestational diabetes or even slightly impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy may be important risk factors for the development of an increased susceptibility to type II and possibly type I diabetes in the offspring (6).

Poorly controlled maternal diabetes results in fetal hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, which frequently cause increased fetal growth, especially in those tissues that are insulin sensitive. As a consequence, there is an increase in birth weight in a substantial proportion of the fetuses born to diabetic women (7, 8, 9). However, macrosomic babies are also delivered to women whose diabetes is well controlled, and normal birth weight infants are born to overt diabetics (10, 11). These events suggest that the regulation of fetal growth in diabetic pregnancies is not simply a case of nutrient oversupply.

Prior studies have demonstrated that transplacental glucose transport is mediated by GLUT1, one of the family of facilitative (GLUT) glucose transporters, embedded in the microvillous and basal membranes of the placental syncytiotrophoblast (12, 13). Alterations in GLUT1 expression have been shown to result from changes in plasma glucose or insulin in a variety of cells (14, 15, 16, 17). In diabetic pregnancies the major effect of maternal hyperglycemia on the fetus is to increase plasma glucose levels. Beyond fetal hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, very little is known of the fetal response to maternal diabetes or of the role of the placenta.

Placental glucose transporters are responsible for transmitting the effects of maternal diabetes to the fetus, and it is possible that this function is modulated through changes in glucose transporter expression and activity. Investigations in vitro have demonstrated that the expression of syncytiotrophoblast GLUT1 is suppressed by hyperglycemia (18, 19), although glucose alone may not produce these effects in the physiological range (20). A stimulatory role for insulin on GLUT1 expression in trophoblast cells has also been demonstrated (19). From these data, it was hypothesized that maternal diabetes would cause suppression of placental GLUT1 expression via hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia. The aims of this initial study were to compare the expression and transport activity of the GLUT1 glucose transporter in microvillous and basal membranes obtained from normal and diabetic pregnancies.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Placental tissue acquisition

Placental tissue from control and diabetic pregnancies was obtained under procedures approved by the New Jersey Medical School institutional review board. Criteria for inclusion were 1) diagnosis of White class A or B diabetes (see below), 2) maternal age between 18–38 yr, 3) absence of medical or obstetric complications other than diabetes, 4) term delivery (37+ weeks gestation), and 5) singleton pregnancy. Exclusion criteria included the existence of nephropathy, retinopathy, hypertension (essential or pregnancy-induced), and conditions that might indicate altered uteroplacental blood flow or substrate delivery. Normal, age-matched control placental tissue was obtained and processed in a manner identical to the diabetic tissue.

Patient classification

All patients were managed under the same protocol at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-University Hospital (Newark, NJ) by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Diabetes was diagnosed by history or presence of two abnormal values during a 3-h oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks gestation (e.g. fasting, >100; 1 h, >195; 2 h, >165; 3 h, >145 mg/dL). For the gestational diabetics, demonstration of abnormal values led to treatment with a standard American Diabetes Association dietary regimen for a minimum of 24 h. Persistent abnormal glucose levels after dietary restriction (fasting, >100; 2 h postprandial, >140 mg/dL) were the signal for initiation of insulin therapy. Pregestational diabetics using oral antihyperglycemic agents were switched to regulation via diet and insulin during pregnancy. Diabetics in this study were stratified by the White classification, based on their diagnostic categories as White class A, gestational diabetics controlled by diet alone (GDM A1) or by diet and insulin (GDM A2), and White class B, maturity-onset pregestational diabetics (duration, <10 yr) without vascular lesions. Classes C through T and those class A or class B diabetics with signs of cardiovascular, metabolic, or other abnormalities likely to affect placental function were excluded.

Vesicle preparation

Placental tissue was obtained at delivery and placed on ice before preparation. Microvillous and basal membrane vesicles were prepared according to methods described previously (12). The only modification was the inclusion of protease inhibitory components (0.5 mmol/L ethylenediamine tetraacetate, 0.5 µg/mL aprotinin, and 0.5 µg/mL leupeptin) in the standard preparative buffer (250 mmol/L sucrose and 10 mmol/L HEPES/Tris, pH 7.0). Microvillous membrane (MVM) and basal membrane (BM) fractions were stored at -70 C until use.

Adult brain tissue

Adult human brain tissue, used as a positive control for measurement of GLUT3, was obtained postmortem using a protocol approved by the institutional review board. A membrane preparation was obtained by homogenization and centrifugation as described previously (12).

Immunoblotting

Analysis of the expression of GLUT1 protein was performed by slot blotting. Western blotting demonstrated the existence of a single broad immunoreactive band for GLUT1 (20); optimization of the blotting conditions eliminated background contributions to the blotting signal. Vesicle samples were extracted in 1% (wt/vol) SDS in Tris-buffered saline (TBS; 150 mmol/L NaCl and 100 mmol/L Tris-HCl, pH 7.5) diluted 20-fold in TBS to minimize the SDS concentration, and samples (100 µL) containing 3 µg membrane protein were blotted on to nitrocellulose membranes using a Minifold II slot blot apparatus (Schleicher & Schuell, Inc., Keene, NH). The nitrocellulose membrane was blocked with 5% casein in TBS (60 min at room temperature) followed by washing in TBS (once for 15 min and twice for 5 min each time at room temperature). The membrane was then incubated with the primary antibody, a polyclonal anti-GLUT1 diluted 1:10,000 in TBS containing 0.5% BSA for 60 min at room temperature. After washing in TBS containing 0.05% Tween (once for 15 min and twice for 5 min each time at room temperature), the membrane was incubated for 60 min at room temperature in a 1:20,000 dilution of the secondary antibody, a goat anti-rabbit IgG coupled to horseradish peroxidase, in TBS-BSA. Detection was performed using a chemiluminescent detection system after a final wash in TBS containing 0.05% Tween (once for 15 min and twice for 5 min each time at room temperature). Blots were visualized on x-ray film and quantified by two-dimensional scanning densitometry (Silverscanner II, La Cie, Beaverton, OR). Blot density was measured using Image software (version 1.49, NIH, Bethesda, MD). A series of control samples containing a range of protein concentrations was included on each membrane to construct a standard curve, which was subsequently used to correct experimental values for nonlinearity in the blotting, film, and scanner responses. GLUT3 immunoblotting was performed as described previously (12).

Transport measurements

Rates of glucose transport into MVM and BM were determined by a recent method that measures the changes in light scattering that result from the alterations in vesicle volume after glucose entry (21). Vesicles were mixed in a 1:1 ratio with a challenge solution in a stopped flow spectrometer (SF50, Hi-Tech, Salisbury, UK). Vesicles containing 100 mmol/L raffinose and 10 mmol/L HEPES-Tris, pH 7.4, were mixed with 80 mmol/L glucose, 20 mmol/L raffinose, and 10 mmol/L HEPES-Tris, pH 7.4, resulting in the formation of an inwardly directed gradient of 40 mmol/L glucose. Light scattered by the vesicles (excitation, 500 ± 5 nm) was measured in a flow cell at a 90° angle to the incident beam using a photomultiplier. All experiments were performed at room temperature, and a minimum of six curves were obtained for each separate placental sample under each condition. Transport experiments were analyzed by fitting the light scattering data to a double exponential function, the two exponentials representing transporter-mediated and diffusional components. Fitting was performed using a nonlinear least squares method, minimizing the sum of the residuals. Exponential time constants ({tau}1, {tau}2) and amplitudes (A1, A2) were obtained for each component. The fraction of total glucose transport mediated by the transporter (F) was calculated as the ratio of the amplitude of the transporter-mediated component of the curve (A1) to the total amplitude of the light scattering data (A1 + A2). The transporter-mediated glucose flux, Jglc (nmol/s·mg) was determined from the expression, Jglc = (1/{tau}1) x V x {Delta}C x F, where {tau}1 is the exponential time constant for the transporter-mediated component (in seconds), V is the mean vesicular volume (µL/mg protein), {Delta}C is the initial concentration gradient (mmol/L), and F is the fraction of transport mediated by the transporter. Diffusional flux, Dglc (nmol/s·mg), was calculated from the equation, Dglc = (1/{tau}2) x V x {Delta}C x (1 - F), where {tau}2 is the time constant for the diffusional component.

Other assays

Alkaline phosphatase, adenylate cyclase, and protein were assayed by previously described methods (22, 23, 24). Maternal hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was assayed by the Clinical Laboratories at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-University Hospital. Vesicular volume was determined by measuring the uptake of 2-deoxyglucose after equilibration at room temperature for 120 min in Hanks’ Balanced Salt Solution containing 1.5 µCi/mL [3H]2-deoxyglucose. After equilibration, vesicles were separated from the free [3H]2-deoxyglucose using 0.45-µm pore size, mixed ester filters on a vacuum filtration manifold (1225 Sampling Manifold, Millipore Corp., Bedford, MA). The filters were washed with cold Hanks’ Solution and solubilized with 2-ethoxyethanol, and the trapped [3H]2-deoxyglucose was counted in a scintillation counter.

Data analysis

All data are given as the mean ± SEM. Comparisons between nondiabetic controls and the three diabetic groups were performed by ANOVA using Dunnett’s test. Pairwise comparisons were performed using Student’s t test.

Materials

Anti-GLUT1 antibody was obtained from Biodesign International (Kennebunk, ME), and horseradish peroxidase-coupled anti-rabbit IgG was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Anti-GLUT3 antibody was a gift from Dr. Gywn Gould (University of Glasgow, Glasgow, U.K.). Hyperbond ECL nitrocellulose and Hyperfilm ECL x-ray film were obtained from Amersham Life Science (Arlington Heights, IL); Renaissance chemiluminescence detection kits were obtained from New England Nuclear Life Science Products (Boston, MA). [3H]2-Deoxyglucose was purchased from American Radiolabeled Chemicals, Inc. (St. Louis, MO), mixed ester HAWP 0.45-µm pore size filters were obtained from Millipore Corp. (Bedford, MA), and other chemicals, including enzyme assay components and electrophoresis materials, were obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. and Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Hercules, CA).


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Population

To avoid vascular and other complications associated with chronic diabetes, subjects for this study were confined to White class B pregestational diabetics (onset <10 yr) and to White class A gestational diabetics. For the same reason, diabetic subjects who showed symptoms of hypertensive disease were also excluded. The type and severity of diabetes were evaluated by the criteria described above, and subjects were assigned to experimental groups based on this classification. All diabetics were treated under the same protocol, eliminating potential differences in diagnostic and treatment criteria. Placental tissue was obtained from 7 control and 25 diabetic pregnancies, comprising 6 pregestational (White class B), 14 gestational diet-controlled (White class A1, GDM A1), and 5 gestational insulin-controlled (White class A2, GDM A2) diabetics. Population data for these subjects are presented in Table 1Go. The gestational ages at delivery in the groups were similar, although the gestational age of the pregestational group was lower than that of the control group (38.2 ± 0.3 vs. 39.7 ± 0.3 weeks; P < 0.05). The diabetic groups did not differ from control with respect to birth weights or placental weights. Nevertheless, analysis of the birth weights showed that 8 of 25 neonates from diabetic pregnancies were macrosomic, defined as greater than the 90th percentile, using the birth weight data of Amini et al. (25). Of the macrosomics, 3 were in the pregestational group, 4 were in the GDM A1 group, and 1 was in the GDM A2 group.


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Table 1. Characteristics of the control and diabetic populations

 
Maternal glycemic status

Measurements of maternal HbA1c at or immediately before delivery were available for 18 of the 25 diabetics. Compared to the normal range of 4.8–7.8%, the value for the pregestational diabetics was 5.6 ± 0.4% (n = 5), the value for the GDM A1 group was 5.9 ± 0.3% (n = 10), and the value for the GDM A2 group was 6.2 ± 1.0% (n = 3). None of the diabetic (or control) subjects displayed HbA1c levels outside the normal range at term. These data indicate that maternal diabetes, as judged by HbA1c, appeared to be adequately controlled at term. Of the 7 subjects for whom HbA1c values were not available, none showed values for the experimental parameters (e.g. GLUT1 expression) different from others in the same group, suggesting that the changes observed in the experimental parameters of the diabetics (see below) were not caused by inclusion of those subjects for whom HbA1c results were not available.

Vesicle characterization

The MVM and BM prepared from the diabetic groups were compared to those from the control pregnancies in terms of vesicle enrichment, cross-contamination, and vesicle volume. MVM enrichment and BM cross-contamination by MVM were assessed using alkaline phosphatase activity as a marker for the microvillous surface. Alkaline phosphatase activities in homogenates from control and diabetic groups were not significantly different and were therefore pooled. Compared to the pooled homogenate value (0.081 ± 0.07 µmol/min·mg; n = 21), all MVM samples were enriched 20-fold or more. MVM from diabetic pregnancies displayed alkaline phosphatase activities not significantly different from those of control MVM (Table 2Go). BM from both control and diabetic groups showed similar levels of alkaline phosphatase activity, which were the same as those for the homogenates, indicating a lack of cross-contamination of the BM fractions by MVM. BM enrichment and MVM cross-contamination by BM were determined through measurements of adenylate cyclase activity, a basal membrane marker (26). Adenylate cyclase activity in homogenates did not differ between groups, and homogenate values were therefore pooled. By comparison with the pooled homogenate (17 ± 4 pmol/min·mg; n = 20), all BM samples were also enriched 20-fold or more. Adenylate cyclase activity in BM from the diabetic groups was not different from that in the control group (Table 2Go). Adenylate cyclase activity in the MVM was similar to that in homogenates, demonstrating minimal contamination of the MVM fraction by BM. Vesicle volumes, determined by measuring the [3H]2-deoxyglucose space, are shown in Table 3Go. Neither MVM nor BM from the diabetic groups was different from the respective control value.


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Table 2. Activity of microvillous and basal membrane enzyme markers in control and diabetic populations

 

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Table 3. Microvillous and basal membrane vesicle volumes

 
Immunoblotting

Preliminary Western blotting experiments demonstrated that under the appropriate conditions, a single broad band (~50–60 kDa) could be obtained for both MVM and BM GLUT1 in the absence of background signals (data not shown). This was confirmed by demonstrating complete loss of signal after omission of the primary antibody. GLUT3 protein was not apparent in either MVM or BM samples from controls or diabetics, although it was present in control adult human brain tissue (data not shown). To measure MVM and BM GLUT1 expression, vesicles were extracted; slot blotted, enabling not only the comparison of all control and diabetic samples on a single membrane but also the blotting of a standard curve composed of membrane protein from the control samples (Fig. 1Go); and centered around the concentration of membrane protein loaded into each slot (3 µg). The equation describing the best fit to the standard curve was used to correct experimental points for nonlinear responses.



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Figure 1. Slot blotting standard curve for BM. Example of a standard curve obtained from slot blotting a mixed sample of control BM in quantities ranging from 0.5–5 µg membrane protein. After immunoblotting and densitometric measurement, blot density was plotted against membrane protein loading, and the data were fitted to the curve described by the equation shown. This equation was used to correct control and diabetic BM GLUT1 densities.

 
Analysis of the slot blots showed that there were no significant differences in GLUT1 content between MVM from normal term (control) placental tissue and any of the diabetic groups (Fig. 2Go). In examining the relationship between GLUT1 content and other parameters reflecting fetoplacental response to maternal diabetes, an inverse correlation was noted between birth weight and MVM GLUT1 content (Fig. 3Go; r = -0.43; P < 0.01), showing that those infants with higher birth weights tended to have a decreased density of microvillous GLUT1. No correlation was observed between MVM GLUT1 content and placental weight or maternal HbA1c at term.



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Figure 2. Quantitative comparison of the expression of GLUT1 protein in MVM from control and diabetic pregnancies. Shown are the results of densitometric measurements of MVM samples obtained from 6 pregestational, 14 GDM A1, and 5 GDM A2 term pregnancies (mean ± SEM), expressed as a fraction of control value (mean ± SEM of 7 control MVM samples).

 


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Figure 3. Correlation of MVM GLUT1 content with birth weight. The graph shows the correlation between placental MVM GLUT1 measurements made by immunoblotting and neonatal birth weight for 7 control and 25 diabetic subjects. GLUT1 content is expressed as arbitrary densitometric measurements, and birth weight is shown in grams. The linear regression fit has an r value of -0.43 (P < 0.01).

 
The data obtained after blotting of the BM are shown in Fig. 4Go. This shows that there was an increase in GLUT1 expression in BM from all of the diabetic groups compared to that in controls (P < 0.05). The increase in expression of GLUT1 was approximately 2-fold for all diabetic groups. In contrast to that in the MVM, there was no correlation between BM GLUT1 content and birth weight, or between BM GLUT1 content and placental weight or maternal HbA1c. The diabetic subjects delivering macrosomic infants had mean a BM GLUT1 level not significantly different from that in the diabetics delivering normal weight infants.



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Figure 4. Comparison of GLUT1 protein expression between BM from control and diabetic pregnancies. Results of densitometric measurements of BM samples obtained from 6 pregestational, 12 GDM A1, and 4 GDM A2 term pregnancies (mean ± SEM) are expressed as a fraction of the control value (mean ± SEM of 7 control MVM samples). *, Values > control, P < 0.05 (by ANOVA, Dunnett’s test).

 
Transport activity

Glucose flux into MVM and BM was measured using a 40 mmol/L glucose gradient and was composed of two components, a transporter-mediated flux and a lipid diffusional flux. The transporter-mediated influx rates (Jglc) and the fraction of glucose crossing the membrane via the transporter (F) are shown in Table 4Go. The Jglc for control BM was not significantly different from control MVM (19.5 ± 1.9 vs. 17.2 ± 1.2 nmol/s·mg; n = 6; significance determined by t test). The Jglc for BM from each of the diabetic groups was increased compared to the control value (P < 0.05). This increase in Jglc for the BM was the result in part of an increase in the fraction of glucose traversing the membrane via the transporter-mediated pathway; F for the BM was increased in all diabetic groups (P < 0.05). In the MVM, diabetics from the GDM A2 group showed an increase in Jglc compared to the control value (P < 0.05), but Jglc for MVM from the other diabetic groups was not increased. No changes in F were observed for the MVM. The diffusional components (Dglc) for BM and MVM (Table 5Go) were not affected by diabetes, except for a small increase (17%) in the GDM A1 group for MVM (P < 0.05).


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Table 4. Transporter-mediated glucose influx into microvillous and basal membrane vesicles

 

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Table 5. Diffusional transport of glucose into microvillous and basal membrane vesicles

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
This is the first study to examine the expression and activity of placental glucose transporters in diabetic pregnancy. In the study, glucose transporter expression and activity were measured in three clearly defined groups of diabetics. Based on previous studies showing hyperglycemic suppression and insulin stimulation of trophoblast GLUT1 expression and activity in vitro (18, 19), it was anticipated that maternal diabetes would produce a suppressive effect as a result of maternal (and fetal) hyperglycemia and reduced maternal plasma insulin. Instead, our data show that despite apparently adequate maternal glycemic control, glucose transporter expression and activity in placental BM from both pregestational and gestational diabetics were increased compared to those in control pregnancies.

The expression of GLUT1, although unaltered in MVM, was increased approximately 2-fold in BM from pregestational, gestational class A1, and gestational class A2 diabetics. Measurements of glucose transporter activity complemented the changes observed in GLUT1 expression; increases noted in BM GLUT1 expression occurred in parallel with increases in BM transport activity, which, in turn, appear to have been based primarily on the increase in F, the fraction of glucose transport taking place via the transporter. The changes in glucose transport rates might have taken place as a result of an increase in the membrane content of the transporter (increase in Vmax) and/or an increase in the affinity of the transporter for glucose (decrease in Km). A distinction cannot be made between these alternatives using these measurements; however, the increase in BM GLUT1 expression favors the former.

In normal term pregnancy, the surface area of the MVM is 5 times or more that of the BM (27, 28). Given this difference and the transporter activities reported here, a model can be envisaged in which the microvillous face of the syncytiotrophoblast cell has a transport capacity 4- to 5-fold greater than that of the basal surface. It is reasonable to assume that under these conditions the BM forms the rate-limiting step to transsyncytial glucose transfer. It is probable therefore that the increase in GLUT1 activity observed in diabetes will have the effect of increasing glucose flux across not only the BM, but also the entire syncytiotrophoblast epithelial layer. The placental response to maternal diabetes is therefore likely to be an increased maternal-fetal flux of glucose, contrary to the change originally postulated.

Animal studies have demonstrated the presence in the placenta of GLUT3 (29, 30, 31, 32, 33), an isoform that changes with gestational age and, in the rat, in response to diabetes (34). In the human, however, although GLUT3 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) has been observed throughout the placenta (35, 36), GLUT3 protein has been observed only in homogenates and endothelial cells (35, 37). Numerous investigators have reported the absence of GLUT3 protein from cyto- and syncytiotrophoblast cells (12, 13, 35, 38). GLUT3 protein was not detected in the MVM or BM samples used here and is unlikely to play a role in the fetoplacental response to diabetes.

In view of the asymmetric distribution of GLUT1 between MVM and BM, it is probable that changes in BM GLUT1 expression on the order described here would not have been apparent had the quantitation been performed on a crude, unfractioned placental membrane preparation, as the changes in BM GLUT1 content would have been small compared to the total syncytial GLUT1 content. It is also possible that changes such as those found in the present study might not have been observed had this question been investigated through measurements of mRNA, as an alteration in GLUT1 mRNA sufficient to create a significant difference in BM protein expression would, in all probability, be small compared to the total quantity of syncytial GLUT1 mRNA. Should the increased BM GLUT1 be ascribed to an increased rate of synthesis of GLUT1 protein or to redistribution of the existing synthesis between MVM and BM? Although no significant changes were observed in MVM GLUT1 expression, the decrement in MVM GLUT1 density required to achieve the increases observed in BM GLUT1 density would be relatively small, on the order of 10–20%, and thus difficult to confirm experimentally. The inverse correlation between MVM GLUT1 content and birth weight might be a reflection of GLUT1 redistribution from the MVM to BM in diabetics; i.e. increased redistribution from the MVM to the BM, associated with increased birth weight. However the absence of a positive correlation between BM GLUT1 content and birth weight suggests that there is another, as yet unknown, component that accounts for the correlation between MVM GLUT1 content and birth weight.

Maternal glycemic status was assessed, where possible, by determination of maternal HbA1c, because this parameter provides a time-averaged measurement of maternal glycemia over several weeks preceding delivery. The values obtained at term indicated that glycemic control, as judged by HbA1c, was apparently within normal limits during the latter part of the third trimester of pregnancy. These measurements do not exclude the occurrence of hyperglycemic events but, rather, point to the absence of extended or recurring hyperglycemia. One possibility is that hyperglycemia earlier in gestation, at or before diagnosis, may have been a factor in producing the changes in GLUT1 expression and activity observed at term in the syncytiotrophoblast. Alternatively, a very mild hyperglycemia in the third trimester, difficult to measure in any systematic fashion, might lead to elevated GLUT1 and macrosomia.

The apparent absence of a maternal hyperglycemic stimulus at or close to term raises the question of the means by which the elevated levels of placental GLUT1 expression and activity might have been achieved and maintained in the diabetics. It is possible to hypothesize that fetal hyperglycemia earlier in gestation acts as a stimulus to fetoplacental growth, including the increased synthesis of BM GLUT1. This could occur through the increased fetal secretion of factors such as insulin and the insulin-like growth factors, events that have been observed both in diabetic pregnancies (39, 40, 41, 42) and in response to fetal hyperglycemia (43, 44, 45). The increased transplacental glucose flux resulting from this increase in BM GLUT1 would prolong the increased rate of fetoplacental growth (including BM GLUT1 expression) through continued elevation of growth factors and despite normalization of maternal plasma glucose. In this way, it may be possible to account for elevated BM GLUT1 levels and macrosomic growth in the absence of continuing maternal hyperglycemia, although there is no evidence to date to demonstrate sustained growth factor levels after removal of a hyperglycemic stimulus. It is possible that GLUT1 plays a relatively minor role in maternal-fetal glucose transport, and therefore, that the changes observed here are not particularly relevant to the fetal response to diabetes. However, the absence of other recognized glucose transporters (12, 13, 36, 46, 47) and the limited pathway for paracellular glucose transport (48) make this improbable.

It is important to understand that the hypothesis described above extends beyond systems transporting glucose, and that glucose transport in diabetics may be modulated by a variety of other effects. For example, it has been recognized for some time that the synthesis of amino acid transporters such as the system A transporter is stimulated by insulin-like growth factor I (49). Thus, fetoplacental growth, stimulated initially by fetal hyperglycemia, may be sustained in part by increased amino acid transport and amino acid stimulation of growth factor release (50, 51, 52). Moreover, it is likely that the effects of glucose will be subject to other influences, such as gestational age, frequency and extent of hyperglycemic episodes, and effects of therapeutic intervention. Nevertheless, the observations reported here provide the basis for a hypothesis that may hold the key to some of the fetal consequences of diabetic pregnancy.


    Acknowledgments
 
The authors thank the physicians and nursing staff of the Labor and Delivery Unit of University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-University Hospital for their help in obtaining the placental tissue used in this study.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was supported in part by Research Grant 6-FY98–0385 from the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and in part by the Foundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (to A.N.Q.). Back

Received July 24, 1998.

Revised September 8, 1998.

Accepted October 20, 1998.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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