Immunoelectron microscopic localization of aromatase in human placenta and ovary using microwave fixation

In this study we investigated the immunohistochemical localization of a unique aromatase, a single protein of 51,000 daltons, in the human placenta and ovary at light and electron microscopic levels. Microwave fixation was adopted for the immunoelectron microscopic study because it is an excellent method for preserving antigenicity and subcellular structures in frozen sections. Tissue samples from four immature human placentas, four full-term human placentas, and two human ovaries fixed in 10% formalin were examined by light microscopy. In addition, tissues from three full-term human placentas and one immature human placenta fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde were examined by electron microscopy. By light microscopy, immunoreactivity for this aromatase was located in the syncytiotrophoblast and a part of the cytotrophoblast of the placenta and in the lutein and granulosa cells of the ovary. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that the aromatase antigen was localized on the surface of the microvilli, the lateral plasma membrane, and in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the syncytiotrophoblast of the placenta. The positive immunoreactivity in the syncytiotrophoblast ER is consistent with previous results using antibodies for other types of aromatase, whereas the reactivity on the microvilli has not been previously described. The present report describes the fine localization of this unique aromatase in placental and ovarian tissues; its localization on the plasma membranes requires further physiological investigation.