Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around Parturition
Myofibroblasts are contractile cells that exhibit features of both fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. In the synepitheliochorial placenta of the cow myofibroblasts are found in the maternal stroma. However, a deeper understanding of the structure and function of the stromal myofibroblasts in the d...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Veterinary Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/1/44 |
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| author | Valentina Kuczwara Gerhard Schuler Christiane Pfarrer Louiza Tiedje Ali Kazemian Miguel Tavares Pereira Mariusz P. Kowalewski Karl Klisch |
| author_facet | Valentina Kuczwara Gerhard Schuler Christiane Pfarrer Louiza Tiedje Ali Kazemian Miguel Tavares Pereira Mariusz P. Kowalewski Karl Klisch |
| author_sort | Valentina Kuczwara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Myofibroblasts are contractile cells that exhibit features of both fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. In the synepitheliochorial placenta of the cow myofibroblasts are found in the maternal stroma. However, a deeper understanding of the structure and function of the stromal myofibroblasts in the developed bovine placenta is still missing. Thus, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analyses in bovine term placentomes, compared to non-pregnant caruncle samples, were conducted. To investigate functional aspects, contractility of placentomal caruncle slices was assessed in an in vitro contraction assay. Additionally, a three-dimensional reconstruction of a bovine placental myofibroblast was created. Immunofluorescent staining revealed a characteristic pattern, including cytoplasmic expression of <i>α</i>-smooth muscle actin, strong perinuclear signal for the intermediate filament vimentin and nuclear progesterone receptor staining. Ultrastructurally, stress fibers, extended cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and perinuclear intermediate filaments were observed. Moreover, in vitro stimulation with angiotensin-II, but not with prostaglandin F2<i>α</i>, induced contraction of placental caruncle tissue. Altogether, these results indicate that progesterone-responsive myofibroblasts represent a mesenchymal phenotype that is involved in the contractile properties of bovine placental stroma. Therefore, the present findings suggest a potential involvement of myofibroblasts in post-partum events of cattle, i.e., expulsion of fetal membranes and uterine involution. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:03:14Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-7381 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:03:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Veterinary Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-52ae7ab10c1d48f9b53083e99da5fec32023-12-01T01:08:12ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812023-01-011014410.3390/vetsci10010044Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around ParturitionValentina Kuczwara0Gerhard Schuler1Christiane Pfarrer2Louiza Tiedje3Ali Kazemian4Miguel Tavares Pereira5Mariusz P. Kowalewski6Karl Klisch7Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandClinic for Veterinary Obstetrics, Gynecology and Andrology of Large and Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, GermanyInstitute for Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, GermanyInstitute for Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, GermanyInstitute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandMyofibroblasts are contractile cells that exhibit features of both fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. In the synepitheliochorial placenta of the cow myofibroblasts are found in the maternal stroma. However, a deeper understanding of the structure and function of the stromal myofibroblasts in the developed bovine placenta is still missing. Thus, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analyses in bovine term placentomes, compared to non-pregnant caruncle samples, were conducted. To investigate functional aspects, contractility of placentomal caruncle slices was assessed in an in vitro contraction assay. Additionally, a three-dimensional reconstruction of a bovine placental myofibroblast was created. Immunofluorescent staining revealed a characteristic pattern, including cytoplasmic expression of <i>α</i>-smooth muscle actin, strong perinuclear signal for the intermediate filament vimentin and nuclear progesterone receptor staining. Ultrastructurally, stress fibers, extended cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and perinuclear intermediate filaments were observed. Moreover, in vitro stimulation with angiotensin-II, but not with prostaglandin F2<i>α</i>, induced contraction of placental caruncle tissue. Altogether, these results indicate that progesterone-responsive myofibroblasts represent a mesenchymal phenotype that is involved in the contractile properties of bovine placental stroma. Therefore, the present findings suggest a potential involvement of myofibroblasts in post-partum events of cattle, i.e., expulsion of fetal membranes and uterine involution.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/1/44cow (<i>Bos taurus</i>)gestationterminterstitiummyofibroblastcontraction |
| spellingShingle | Valentina Kuczwara Gerhard Schuler Christiane Pfarrer Louiza Tiedje Ali Kazemian Miguel Tavares Pereira Mariusz P. Kowalewski Karl Klisch Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around Parturition Veterinary Sciences cow (<i>Bos taurus</i>) gestation term interstitium myofibroblast contraction |
| title | Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around Parturition |
| title_full | Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around Parturition |
| title_fullStr | Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around Parturition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around Parturition |
| title_short | Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Maternal Myofibroblasts in the Bovine Placenta around Parturition |
| title_sort | ultrastructural and immunohistochemical characterization of maternal myofibroblasts in the bovine placenta around parturition |
| topic | cow (<i>Bos taurus</i>) gestation term interstitium myofibroblast contraction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/1/44 |
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