These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Expression of Mel-CAM in implantation site intermediate trophoblastic cell line, IST-1, limits its migration on uterine smooth muscle cells.
    Author: Shih I, Wang T, Wu T, Kurman RJ, Gearhart JD.
    Journal: J Cell Sci; 1998 Sep; 111 ( Pt 17)():2655-64. PubMed ID: 9701564.
    Abstract:
    An immortalized implantation site intermediate trophoblastic cell line, IST-1, was established from a human placenta of 7 weeks gestation. IST-1 cells phenotypically resembled the implantation site intermediate trophoblastic cells in situ and expressed Mel-CAM (MUC 18 or CD146). Mel-CAM is a cell adhesion molecule belonging to the immunoglobulin gene superfamily. It is involved in heterophilic cell-cell adhesion and plays a role in several biological processes including tumor progression. We have previously shown that Mel-CAM was highly expressed in the intermediate (extravillous) trophoblast in the human implantation site. In this study we determined the function of Mel-CAM in the interaction of trophoblast and uterine smooth muscle in the implantation site. IST-1 cells failed to adhere to immobilized recombinant Mel-CAM in solid phase whereas the uterine smooth muscle cells did. The presence of the putative Mel-CAM ligand in smooth muscle cells was further supported by the finding that Mel-CAM-transfected but not the mock-transfected U937 leukemia cells bind to the confluent monolayer of uterine smooth muscle cells. IST-1 cells attached efficiently to the monolayer of the uterine smooth muscle cells and acquired a spindle-shaped morphology simulating smooth muscle cells. The cell binding was only marginally affected by Mel-CAM blocking antibodies. However, Mel-CAM blocking antibodies and recombinant Mel-CAM promoted cell migration from IST-1 cell spheroids on the smooth muscle monolayer. Taken together, our results suggest that IST-1 cells express Mel-CAM but not the putative Mel-CAM ligand. In contrast, the uterine smooth muscle cells express the putative Mel-CAM ligand which binds to Mel-CAM on the surface of the IST-1 cells. The interaction between Mel-CAM and its putative ligand confers a stationary phenotype for trophoblastic cells. These observations are consistent with an important role for Mel-CAM in limiting trophoblastic migration within the myometrium in the implantation site.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]