The Journal of Immunology, Vol 149, Issue 8 2675-2680, Copyright © 1992 by American Association of Immunologists

ARTICLES

Localization of IFN-gamma receptor in first trimester placenta to trophoblasts but lack of stimulation of HLA-DRA, -DRB, or invariant chain mRNA expression by IFN-gamma

JA Peyman and GL Hammond
Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.

Trophoblasts do not express MHC class II Ag on their cell surface, but it is not known at which level the regulation of expression of these IFN-gamma-responsive genes occurs. We localized the IFN-gamma R Ag to the trophoblasts of normal human first trimester placenta. As previously shown, treatment with IFN-gamma of short term cultures of placental explants did not induce expression of HLA-DR Ag in trophoblasts. We demonstrated that in situ hybridization with probes for DRA, DRB, and MHC class II-associated invariant chain genes gave no detectable signals for the presence of the corresponding mRNA in cytotrophoblasts or syncytiotrophoblasts of first trimester placenta with or without IFN-gamma. Maternal leukocytes in these placental preparations as well as IFN-gamma-treated HeLa cell control cultures expressed these mRNA. In addition, Northern analysis of RNA isolated from the trophoblast cell line Jar after treatment with IFN-gamma showed that induction of transcription did not occur from the HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB, or invariant chain genes. Jar cells expressed the IFN-gamma R Ag. These data suggest that down-regulation of MHC class II Ag on trophoblasts in the first trimester placenta and in a cell line include a lack of productive intracellular signaling by the IFN-gamma R and maintenance, in a coordinate manner, of low steady state levels of the mRNA encoded by the DRA, DRB, and invariant chain genes.

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