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Vertebrate reproductive science and technology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Expression of collagen XVIII mRNA and protein in human umbilical vein and placenta

Kaei Nasu A C , Kayo Fujisawa A , Yoshihiro Nishida A , Satomi Kai A , Terumasa Sugano A , Isao Miyakawa A and Yoshiko Tateishi B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oita Medical University, Hasama-machi, Oita 879-5593, Japan.

B Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan.

C To whom correspondence should be addressed. email: nasu@oita-med.ac.jp

Reproduction, Fertility and Development 15(2) 107-114 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD02067
Submitted: 15 August 2002  Accepted: 17 March 2003   Published: 17 March 2003

Abstract

Endostatin is a potent angiogenic inhibitor that is derived from collagen XVIII by proteolytic cleavage. Localization of collagen XVIII has been reported in the basement membrane of blood vessels. To examine the involvement of collagen XVIII/endostatin during pregnancy, the distribution of collagen XVIII/endostatin protein in human umbilical vein was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The expression of collagen XVIII/endostatin in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was also examined by immunocytochemistry and Northern blot analysis. To examine the release of endostatin in vivo and in vitro, concentrations of endostatin in umbilical venous blood and in HUVEC culture medium were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Collagen XVIII/endostatin protein was localized to endothelial cells and their basement membrane in the umbilical vein. The expression of collagen XVIII mRNA and protein was detected in HUVEC. However, endostatin was not detected in umbilical venous blood or in HUVEC culture medium. The absence of endostatin release and the presence of its parental protein, collagen XVIII, suggest that the cleavage mechanisms of endostatin might be strongly inhibited under the physiological conditions present during pregnancy. It is therefore considered that vasculature in the feto–placental unit is highly angiogenic, even at the time of parturition.

Extra keywords: angiogenesis


Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Dr Hidekatsu Yoshioka, Department of Biochemistry, Oita Medical University, Japan and Dr Susan J. Fisher and Dr Michael T. McMaster, Department of Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco, USA for their review of the work. This research was supported in part by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan Grant-in-Aid 11770945 (to K. Nasu) and 09671699 (to I. Miyakawa) for Scientific Research.


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