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Opposite Effects of Transforming Growth Factor-β Activation and Rho-Associated Kinase Inhibition on Human Trophoblast Migration in a Reconstituted Placental-Endometrial Coculture System

Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (P.F., C.R., M.-L.V.), F-34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (P.F., C.R., M.-L.V.), F-34090 Montpellier, France; University Montpellier 2 (P.F., C.R., M.-L.V.), IFR 122, and University Montpellier 1 (T.M.), F-34967 Montpellier, France; and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Montpellier (T.M.), Department of Cellular Biology, Hospital Arnaud de Villeneuve, F-34295 Montpellier, France

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Marie-Luce Vignais, Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France. E-mail: vignais{at}igmm.cnrs.fr.

Placental implantation involves highly regulated trophoblast invasion of the endometrial stroma. TGFβ is a known regulator of this process. This study examines the effect of TGFβ on extravillous cytotrophoblastic cell (EVCT) migration in cocultures of first-trimester human chorionic villus explants and primary human endometrial fibroblasts. Migration of EVCTs was followed by phase-contrast time-lapse microscopy and was shown to highly depend on the endometrial fibroblast matrix. Interstitial EVCT invasion was also analyzed by confocal microscopy of fluorescently prelabeled trophoblasts and endometrial fibroblasts. As expected, addition of TGFβ led to inhibition of EVCT invasion of the endometrial cell layer. This inhibition was characterized by formation of compact EVCT stacks at migration fronts and displacement of endometrial fibroblasts. We tested the role of the RhoA/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) pathway, a TGFβ-dependent pathway known to regulate cell migration. Interestingly, blocking ROCK with the chemical inhibitor Y27632 had an effect opposite to TGFβ activation because it promoted superficial EVCT migration on the endometrial cell layer. These data suggest a role for ROCK in the TGFβ-dependent control of trophoblast migration. Furthermore, they indicate that even though ROCK signaling plays a role in human trophoblast cell invasion, EVCT migration can still occur in the absence of ROCK activity.