Expression profiles of zinc transporters in rodent placental models

Zinc is a vital metal that is a structural and functional component of many proteins. The precise mechanism of zinc transport in the placenta remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression of zinc transporters (ZnTs) in the mouse placenta and in two rat trophoblast cell lines, TR-TBT cells, which are syncytiotrophoblast cells of the labyrinth zone, and Rcho-1 cells, which retain trophoblast cell features and differentiate into trophoblast giant cells of the junctional zone. All of the ZnTs that have been identified in mice (ZnT1-7) were detected in the mouse placenta by RT-PCR. The expression profiles of ZnTs in the placenta during pregnancy were different. The mRNA levels of ZnTs, with the exception of ZnT7, did not change during pregnancy. The ZnT7 mRNA level in placenta was elevated during pregnancy. In TR-TBT cells, ZnT1, ZnT3 and ZnT4 were detected by RT-PCR analysis. In Rcho-1 cells, all of the ZnTs that have been identified in rats (ZnT1-4) were detected by RT-PCR analysis. There were no differences between the mRNA expression levels of ZnT family members in undifferentiated Rcho-1 cells and differentiated Rcho-1 cells. This is the first report of expression profiles of ZnTs during differentiation of the placenta in the mouse placenta and rat placental cell models.