The pathomechanisms of preeclampsia (PE), a complication of late pregnancy characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, and due to improper placentation, are not well known. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from the amniotic membrane (AMSCs) may play a role in PE pathogenesis as placental homeostasis regulators. PLACenta-specific protein 1 (PLAC1) is a transmembrane antigen involved in trophoblast proliferation that is found to be associated with cancer progression. We studied PLAC1 in human AMSCs obtained from control subjects (n = 4) and PE patients (n = 7), measuring the levels of mRNA expression (RT-PCR) and secreted protein (ELISA on conditioned medium). Lower levels of PLAC1 mRNA expression were observed in PE AMSCs as compared with Caco2 cells (positive controls), but not in non-PE AMSCs. PLAC1 antigen was detectable in conditioned medium obtained from PE AMSCs, whereas it was undetectable in that obtained from non-PE AMSCs. Our data suggest that abnormal shedding of PLAC1 from AMSC plasma membranes, likely by metalloproteinases, may contribute to trophoblast proliferation, supporting its role in the oncogenic theory of PE.
Keywords: PLAC1; amniotic membrane; mesenchymal stem cells; preeclampsia; trophoblast.