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Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Three-dimensional Rendering and Analysis of Immunolabeled, Clarified Human Placental Villous Vascular Networks
Published on: March 29, 2018
Expression of HLA-G and KIR2DL4 receptor in chorionic villous in missed abortion
Olesya Bespalova1, Margarita Bakleicheva1, Tatiana Ivashchenko2
1Department of pathology of pregnancy, FSBSI "The Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology named after D.O.Ott", Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Methods: The purpose of this study is to investigate the HLA-G and KIR2DL4 expression in chorionic villous among 2 groups with missed abortion: group 1 - 27cases with normal karyotype and group 2 - 22 with fetal polyploidy. Criteria of inclusion: abortive material from two groups of women with missed abortion; 6-12 weeks gestational age, singleton pregnancy, cytogenetic of chorionic villous was obligatory - normal fetal karyotype and polyploidy of fetus.
Results: During IHC investigations the average relative area of HLA-G expression in trophoblast was counted (in 1st group 33.9 ± 3.5 and in 2nd group 38.6 ± 2.8). Expression of HLA-G the most verified in extravillous chorion stroma. The average relative area of KIR2DL4 receptor was not statistically different among two groups (31.6 ± 2.4 and 32.2 ± 1.7).
Objective:
Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a molecule that was first known to confer protection to the fetus from destruction by the immune system of its mother. HLA-G expression is mainly restricted to the fetal-maternal interface on the extravillous cytotrophoblast, placenta, amnion.
Methods: The purpose of this study is to investigate the HLA-G and KIR2DL4 expression in chorionic villous among 2 groups with missed abortion: group 1 - 27cases with normal karyotype and group 2 - 22 with fetal polyploidy. Criteria of inclusion: abortive material from two groups of women with missed abortion; 6-12 weeks gestational age, singleton pregnancy, cytogenetic of chorionic villous was obligatory - normal fetal karyotype and polyploidy of fetus.
Results: During IHC investigations the average relative area of HLA-G expression in trophoblast was counted (in 1st group 33.9 ± 3.5 and in 2nd group 38.6 ± 2.8). Expression of HLA-G the most verified in extravillous chorion stroma. The average relative area of KIR2DL4 receptor was not statistically different among two groups (31.6 ± 2.4 and 32.2 ± 1.7).
Conclusions:
These results suggest the role of HLA-G for the progression in early reproductive losses. Low expression of HLA-G is associated with pregnancy complications and can be one of the reasons for spontaneous abortion.

