Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 13, 2026

siRNA Transfection and EMSA Analyses on Freshly Isolated Human Villous Cytotrophoblasts
09:57

siRNA Transfection and EMSA Analyses on Freshly Isolated Human Villous Cytotrophoblasts

Published on: September 20, 2016

Localization of transferrin on the surface of the human placenta by electron microscopic immunocytochemistry

B F King

    The Anatomical Record
    |October 1, 1976
    PubMed

    During the course of gestation, a large amount of iron is transferred rapidly and unidirectionally from mother to fetus across the placenta. It has been postulated that one of the first steps involved in placental iron transfer involves binding of the maternal transferrin-iron complex to the surface of the placenta and the subsequent removal of iron and release of transferrin back into the maternal circulation. To determine if transferrin is present on the surface of human placental villi, two different immunocytochemical methods have been used: (1) an unlabeled antibody, peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method utilizing rabbit antiserum to human transferrin, goat anti-rabbit IgG and rabbit peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex or; (2) a peroxidase-labeled antibody method utilizing goat antiserum to human transferrin and peroxidase-conjugated rabbit anti-goat IgG. The peroxide was then localized by incubation in a diaminobenzidine-hydrogen peroxide medium. Examination of the tissue in the electron microscope revealed the reaction product deposited as discrete patches or particles on the microvillous surface of human syncytial trophoblast. Controls using non-immune serum or an antiserum adsorbed with purified human transferrin showed no reaction product on the surface. The results provide morphological confirmation for the presence of transferrin on the surface of human syncytial trophoblast lining the maternal blood spaces.

    More Related Videos

    Three-dimensional Rendering and Analysis of Immunolabeled, Clarified Human Placental Villous Vascular Networks09:33

    Three-dimensional Rendering and Analysis of Immunolabeled, Clarified Human Placental Villous Vascular Networks

    Published on: March 29, 2018

    Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes08:45

    Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes

    Published on: May 10, 2022

    Related Concept Videos

    Transcytosis of IgG01:15

    Transcytosis of IgG

    Transcytosis is the process in which molecules are internalized by endocytosis, transported across the cell, and released through exocytosis from the opposite end of the cell. Molecules such as insulin, immunoglobulins, and certain nutrients are transferred through the recycling endosomes by recycling and transcytosis.
    IgG molecules from a mother undergo transcytosis starting around 13 weeks of gestation. The amount of IgG transferred and entering the fetal blood circulation increases with...
    Immunogold Electron Microscopy01:20

    Immunogold Electron Microscopy

    Immunoelectron microscopy utilizes immunogold labeling of endogenous proteins with specific antibodies to detect and localize these proteins in cells and tissues. The procedure provides insights into the distribution and quantification of protein under different stimulation conditions offering clues about their functions. Conjugating highly electron-dense gold particles with primary or secondary antibodies allow antigen detection on and within cells, with high resolution and specificity.