Differential spatiotemporal patterns of galectin expression are a hallmark of endotheliochorial placentation

FREITAG N; CONRAD ML; DIESSLER ME; HERNANDEZ R; BARRIENTOS G; ROSE M; CASAS LA; BARBEITO CG; BLOIS S

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2016 vol. 75 p. 317 - 325

1046-7408

Objective: Galectins, a family of evolutionarily-conserved glycan-binding proteins, influence the progress of pregnancy by regulating key processes associated with embryo-maternal cross talk, including angiogenesis and placentation. Galectin family members have been shown to exert multiple roles in the context of hemochorial and epitheliochorial placentation; however, further precise analysis of the galectin prolife in endotheliochorial placenta is still required. Method of study: Here, we analysed the expression of galectin (gal)-1, -3 and -9 during early and late endotheliochorial placentation in two different species (dogs and cats). Results: In these models, we found that during early feline gestation, all three galectin members were more strongly expressed on trophoblast and maternal vessels compared to the decidua. This was accompanied by an overall decrease of gal-1, -3 and -9 expression in late feline gestation. In canine early pregnancy, we found that gal-1 and -9 were expressed strongly in cytotrophoblast (CTB) cells compared to gal-3, and no galectin expression was observed in syncytiotrophoblast (STB) cells. Progression of canine gestation was accompanied by increased gal-1 and -3 expression on STB cells, whereas gal-9 expression remained similar in CTB and STB. Conclusion: These data suggest that both the maternal and fetal compartments are characterized by a spatiotemporal galectin expression during endotheliochorial placentation, implying that galectins regulate important process during gestation associated with angiogenesis and maternal tolerance towards paternal antigens.