Assessment of Krüpel-like factor 6 function in human extravillous trophoblast cells

Córdoba

Congreso; Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología molecular 2016 (SAIB); 2016

Trophoblast cells differentiation into migratory extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) is critical for human placentation and embryonic development. KLF6 is a zinc-finger transcription factor that has a cellular and signal dependent tumor suppressor activity. klf6 knockout mice die in-utero with a phenotype including impaired placental development, however its role in placenta is partiallyknown. We had demonstrated that KLF6 is required for proper villous trophoblasts differentiation and its expression is regulated by hypoxia. In order to evaluated weather KLF6 modulates EVT migration, we performed wound-healing and western blot analysis in KLF6 siRNA HTR8/SVneo cells (human first trimester trophoblasts with an EVT phenotype). Confluent cell monolayers, transfected with a KLF6-specific siRNA (siK) or a control siRNA, were ?scratched? and cell migration and protein expression were assessed after 4 and 24h, respectively. Cell migration tend to be higher in siK cells compared to control, although difference was statistically non-significant. Protein expression levels of Conexin-43, α5 and β1 integrin subunit levels remained unmodified, but β-catenin expression was increased in siK cells. β-catenin signaling plays a critical role in trophoblast invasive differentiation, thus present results suggest that KLF6 contributes to EVT differentiation.