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Published on: October 7, 2011
Double-label immunohistochemistry to assess labyrinth structure of the mouse placenta with stereology
Katrien De Clercq1, Jorge Lopez-Tello2, Joris Vriens3
1Laboratory of Endometrium, Endometriosis & Reproductive Medicine, Department of Development & Regeneration, G-PURE, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, VIB Centre for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Trophoblast Research, Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
In mice, the labyrinth zone of the placenta exchanges nutrients and gases between mother and fetus. This placental zone is complex in structure and defects in its morphogenesis can compromise substrate exchange and thus, fetal growth and viability. Numerous mouse models involving genetic and environmental manipulation show abnormalities in labyrinth zone size. However, further structural analysis, normally undertaken using ultrathin resin sections, can pose practical constraints. Here, we validate the use of stereology on paraffin-embedded sections double-labelled for lectin and cytokeratin as a cheap, fast and robust alternative for analysing the structure of the mouse placental labyrinth.
In mice, the labyrinth zone of the placenta exchanges nutrients and gases between mother and fetus. This placental zone is complex in structure and defects in its morphogenesis can compromise substrate exchange and thus, fetal growth and viability. Numerous mouse models involving genetic and environmental manipulation show abnormalities in labyrinth zone size. However, further structural analysis, normally undertaken using ultrathin resin sections, can pose practical constraints. Here, we validate the use of stereology on paraffin-embedded sections double-labelled for lectin and cytokeratin as a cheap, fast and robust alternative for analysing the structure of the mouse placental labyrinth.
