PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Errasti-Murugarren, Ekaitz
AU  - Díaz, Paula
AU  - Godoy, Valeria
AU  - Riquelme, Gloria
AU  - Pastor-Anglada, Marçal
TI  - Expression and Distribution of Nucleoside Transporter Proteins in the Human Syncytiotrophoblast
AID  - 10.1124/mol.111.071837
DP  - 2011 Nov 01
TA  - Molecular Pharmacology
PG  - 809--817
VI  - 80
IP  - 5
4099  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/80/5/809.short
4100  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/80/5/809.full
SO  - Mol Pharmacol2011 Nov 01; 80
AB  - The plasma membrane distribution and related biological activity of nucleoside transporter proteins (NTs) were investigated in human syncytiotrophoblast from term placenta using a variety of approaches, including nucleoside uptake measurements into vesicles from selected plasma membrane domains, NT immunohistochemistry, and subcellular localization (basal, heavy, and light apical membranes as well as raft-enriched membranes from the apical domain). In contrast with other epithelia, in this epithelium, we have identified the high-affinity pyrimidine-preferring human concentrative nucleoside transporter (hCNT) 1 as the only hCNT-type protein expressed at both the basal and apical membranes. hCNT1 localization in lipid rafts is also dependent on its subcellular localization in the apical plasma membrane, suggesting a complex cellular and regional expression. Overall, this result favors the view that the placenta is a pyrimidine-preferring nucleoside sink from both maternal and fetal sides, and hCNT1 plays a major role in promoting pyrimidine salvage and placental growth. This finding may be of pharmacological relevance, because hCNT1 is known to interact with anticancer nucleoside-derived drugs and other molecules, such as nicotine and caffeine, for which a great variety of harmful effects on placental and fetal development, including intrauterine growth retardation, have been reported.