Comparison of Glycosylation Patterns of Placental Proteins Between Normal Pregnancy and Missed Abortion

Contemporary understanding of missed abortion, as the case of spontaneous abortion where embryo is retained in uterus for four weeks or more after its death, is very poor. Aiming to improve the level of knowledge about this process, we have compared glycosylation patterns of placental proteins in normal pregnancy and missed abortion. Oligosaccharide branches were detected by Western-blot using SNA, DBA and PHA-E lectins. The comparison of samples of the same gestational age enabled identification of changes in protein glycosylation between normal and pathological placentas. Lectin DBA detects in normal placenta the glycoprotein GP 105 during the eleventh week, which is absent in missed abortion. PHA-E identifies GP 71 during fourteenth week only in normal placenta. However GP 25 recognized by SNA in missed abortion was not found in normal pregnancy at tenth week. These results indicate that abnormal placental development is associated with changes in glycoprotein structures, and that glycoconjugates might have an important role in placental development.