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. 1989 Jan;86(2):656–660. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.2.656

The interleukin 2 gene is expressed in the syncytiotrophoblast of the human placenta.

K D Boehm 1, M F Kelley 1, J Ilan 1, J Ilan 1
PMCID: PMC286532  PMID: 2463636

Abstract

The lymphokine interleukin 2 is an important immune system regulatory glycopolypeptide. It is produced by antigen- or mitogen-stimulated T lymphocytes and is required for the proliferation or clonal expansion of activated T lymphocytes. In this report, it is demonstrated by RNA transfer blot hybridization that the poly(A)+ RNA population of the human placenta contains a 0.85-kilobase RNA transcript that specifically hybridizes to a human interleukin 2 cDNA probe. By using hybridization histochemistry in situ, it is further shown that interleukin 2 RNA transcripts are localized, primarily, to the syncytial (syncytiotrophoblast) layer of the human placenta. Possible roles for syncytiotrophoblast-produced interleukin 2 are suggested and discussed.

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Selected References

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