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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

In Vitro Culture of Epithelial Cells from Different Anatomical Regions of the Human Amniotic Membrane
Published on: November 28, 2019
Expression of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-related Factors in Adherent Placenta
Tokuro Shirakawa1, Yoshiya Miyahara, Kenji Tanimura
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (T.S., Y.M., K.T., H.M., H.Y.), Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine Department of Diagnostic Pathology (F.K., T.I.), Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
Abstract:
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is a key process influencing cancer progression and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related factors in chorionic villi and decidual cells in adherent placenta. The current study included 19 patients diagnosed with adherent placenta after hysterectomy. The expression of E-cadherin, Vimentin, Snail, and transforming growth factor-β in placental tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Immunostaining intensity was semiquantitatively evaluated using the HSCORE algorithm. In the chorionic villi of the invasive part (placenta with invasion into myometrium), E-cadherin expression was significantly lower than that in the noninvasive part (placenta with no invasion). In the decidual cells of the invasive part, expression of transforming growth factor-β and Snail significantly increased. These results suggest that epithelial-mesenchymal transition may contribute to excessive trophoblast invasion into the myometrium in adherent placenta.
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