Glycosylation of human trophoblast integrins is stage and cell-type specific.

Cytotrophoblasts are the specialized epithelial cells of the placenta. During the first trimester, a subpopulation of chorionic villus cytotrophoblasts differentiates along an invasive pathway and penetrates the maternal endometrium, decidua and spiral arterioles. Cytotrophoblast invasiveness declines rapidly during the second half of gestation. Isolated cytotrophoblasts of different gestational ages retain this differential invasiveness in culture. To determine whether the properties of integrin receptors for extracellular matrix molecules differ between invasive and non-invasive cytotrophoblasts, detergent extracts of isolated cytotrophoblasts of different gestational ages, and of first-trimester villous fibroblasts, were immunoprecipitated with subunit-specific anti-beta 1 integrin antibodies. Striking alterations in electrophoretic mobility were observed in beta 1 integrins from first-trimester cytotrophoblasts, as compared with those from term cytotrophoblasts or first-trimester villous fibroblasts, suggesting a cell-type-specific, temporally regulated alteration in glycosylation. Treatment of total first-trimester cytotrophoblast beta 1 integrins or the isolated alpha 5/beta 1 fibronectin receptor with endo-beta-galactosidase restored electrophoretic mobility to control levels, suggesting the presence of polylactosamine-bearing oligosaccharides. Further analysis by enzyme digestion and lectin-affinity chromatography suggested that they consisted of at least three antennae and short, sialylated lactosamine units. These oligosaccharides did not affect the affinity of the first-trimester cytotrophoblast fibronectin receptor for fibronectin. However, this receptor bound more strongly to wheat germ agglutinin than control fibronectin receptor and resisted elution by high concentrations of sugar hapten, requiring ionic detergent for removal. These results suggested that the altered glycosylation affected the conformation of the fibronectin receptor.