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Biochemical and Immunological Aspects of the Human Trophoblast Cell Surface

A Review

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Part of the book series: Trophoblast Research ((TR))

Abstract

Following blastocyst implantation, the outer layer of human trophoblast rapidly proliferates and several anatomically distinct populations of trophoblast develop in the placenta and extraembryonic membranes as gestation progresses (Hertig et al., 1954; Boyd and Hamilton, 1970; Bulmer and Johnson, 1985). The major trophoblast population covers chorionic villi (or conversely lines intervillous spaces) and is therefore in intimate contact with maternal blood. This villous trophoblast layer is organized into an inner cytotrophoblast and an outer syncytiotrophoblast layer with numerous microvilli on the maternal-facing surface. Also of relevance to this review is extravillous cytotrophoblast which proliferates into maternal uterine tissue from the implantation site. Since high purity preparations of syncytiotrophoblast surface microvillous plasma membrance (StMPM) can be readily obtained from term placentae (Smith et al., 1974; Ogbimi et al., 1979), the majority of biochemical and immunological studies have centered on syncytiotrophoblast.

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Webb, P.D., Hole, N., McLaughlin, P.J., Stern, P.L., Johnson, P.M. (1987). Biochemical and Immunological Aspects of the Human Trophoblast Cell Surface. In: Miller, R.K., Thiede, H.A. (eds) Cellular Biology and Pharmacology of the Placenta. Trophoblast Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1936-9_1

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