A comparative study of key physiological stem cell parameters between three human trophoblast cell lines

Human trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) play a key role in the placenta. These cells are proliferative, undifferentiated, and can differentiate into mature trophoblast cell types. However, primary human TSCs are difficult to obtain. In our previous study, we established TSCs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (TS^hiPSC). Here, we aimed to characterize the identity of these TS^hiPSC cells by comparing them with BeWo choriocarcinoma cells and primary TSCs (CT cells). Compared with BeWo cells, CT and TS^hiPSC cells showed high secretion of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and syncytiotrophoblast differentiation ability. Global gene microarray analysis results showed that CT and TS^hiPSC cells, unlike BeWo cells, could be classified in the same group. Compared with BeWo cells, CT and TS^hiPSC cells showed high expression levels of TSC-specific genes and low expression of cancer adhesion and invasion genes. Analysis of placental barrier integrity showed that TS^hiPSC cells could form a good barrier. Prospective studies using TS^hiPSC cells hold great promise for elucidating the pathogenesis of infertility due to trophoblast defects.