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BOR - Papers in Press, published online ahead of print January 3, 2007.
Biol Reprod 2007, 10.1095/biolreprod.106.056481
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Submitted August 14, 2006
Returned for revision August 29, 2006
Accepted December 29, 2006

Pregnancy


Pregnancy in the Brown Norway Rat: A Model for Investigating the Genetics of Placentation

Toshihiro Konno , Lea A. Rempel , Juan A. Arroyo , and Michael J. Soares *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: msoares{at}kumc.edu.

Abstract
The placenta facilitates the exchange of nutrients and wastes in an effort to promote fetal development. Disruptions in the establishment of the placenta and its interactions with the maternal uterus are potential causes of pregnancy failure. In this study, we investigated the pregnancy phenotype of two inbred rat strains: the Dahl Salt Sensitive (DSS) strain and the Brown Norway (BN) strain. The DSS strain is reported to have large litters, while the BN strain has small litters. Pregnant female rats of each strain were sacrificed on various days of gestation. At the time of sacrifice, the number of viable versus dead and/or resorbing conceptuses was determined. Placental tissues from viable conceptuses were collected and processed for biochemical and histological analyses. The number of viable conceptuses at days 8.5 and 18.5 of gestation was significantly greater in DSS versus BN rats. Additionally, the number of resorbing and/or dying conceptuses was significantly greater in the BN strain than in the DSS strain. Maternal responses to pregnancy and elements of placental and fetal development in DSS and BN rats differed. Immunohistological analysis of placentation and gene expression profiles revealed that trophoblast cell invasion into the uterine mesometrial compartment was significantly less in the BN strain versus the DSS strain. In contrast, the uterine natural killer cell population was reciprocally expanded in the BN strain. The impairment in trophoblast cell invasion in BN rats was associated with a smaller junctional zone compartment of the chorioallantoic placenta. Collectively, the data indicate that BN rats exhibit a unique form of placentation and may represent an excellent model for investigating the genetics of placental development.

Key words: Pregnancy • Placenta • Trophoblast


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S. M. K. Alam, T. Konno, N. Sahgal, L. Lu, and M. J. Soares
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J. Biol. Chem., July 4, 2008; 283(27): 18957 - 18968.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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