Characterization of Xenobiotic and Steroid Disposition Potential of Human Placental Tissue and Cell Lines (BeWo, JEG-3, JAR, and HTR-8/SVneo) by Quantitative Proteomics

The placenta is a fetal organ that performs critical functions to maintain pregnancy and support fetal development, including metabolism and transport of xenobiotics and steroids between the maternal-fetal unit. In vitro placenta models are used to study xenobiotic and steroid disposition, but how well these models recapitulate the human placenta is not well understood. We first characterized the abundance of proteins involved in xenobiotic and steroid disposition in human placental tissue. In pooled human placenta, the following xenobiotic and steroid disposition proteins were detected (highest to lowest), 1) enzymes: glutathione S-transferase P, carbonyl reductase 1, aldo-keto reductase 1B1, hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSD3B1 and HSD11B1), aromatase, epoxide hydrolase 1 (EPHX1) and steryl-sulfatase, and 2) transporters: monocarboxylate transporters (MCT1 and 4), organic anion transporting polypeptide 2B1, organic anion transporter 4, and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). Then, the tissue proteomics data were compared with four placental cell lines (BeWo, JEG-3, JAR, and HTR-8/SVneo). The differential global proteomics analysis revealed that the tissue and cell lines shared 1420 cytosolic and 1186 membrane proteins. Although extravillous trophoblast and cytotrophoblast marker proteins were detected in all cell lines, only BeWo and JEG-3 cells expressed the syncytiotrophoblast marker, chorionic somatomammotropin hormone 1. BeWo and JEG-3 cells expressed most target proteins including aromatase, HSDs, EPHX1, MCT1, and BCRP. JEG-3 cells treated with commonly detected phthalates in human biofluids showed dysregulation of steroid pathways. The data presented here show that BeWo and JEG-3 cells are closer to the placental tissue for studying xenobiotic and steroid disposition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This is the first study to compare proteomics data of human placental tissue and cell lines (BeWo, JAR, JEG-3, and HTR-8/SVneo). The placental cell line and tissue proteomes are vastly different, but BeWo and JEG-3 cells showed greater resemblance to the tissue in the expression of xenobiotic and steroid disposition proteins. These data will assist researchers to select an optimum cell model for mechanistic investigations on xenobiotic and steroid disposition in the placenta.