Expression pattern of Galectin 4 in rat placentation.

ABSTRACT

Galectin 4 (Gal4) is abundantly expressed in the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract, and functional analysis has concentrated on its roles associated with polarized membrane trafficking. This study aimed to investigate the expression of Gal4 in placentation. The expression level of Gal4 was revealed to be lower in differentiated Rcho-1 cells (a model system of rat trophoblast differentiation) than in proliferative cells. In the rat placenta, immunohistochemical analysis showed that Gal4 is preferentially located in the maternal-fetal junctional zone. These results suggest that down-regulation of Gal4 may be involved in the promotion of trophoblast cell differentiation.