Fig. 5.

WB analysis of SERT expression in whole trophoblast cells. The whole cell expression of SERT was analyzed in trophoblast cells (1.5 × 10⁶ per assay) isolated from normal (N) and GDM (G) placentas. SERT proteins in trophoblast cells from normal placenta appeared in one major band at 80 kDa, confirming the reported studies (37, 45), whereas it appeared from GDM placenta as two bands at 80 and 55 kDa. The band densities were calculated as the ratio of each band to the level of actin. Relative SERT levels are expressed at 80 and 55 kDa as the means and SD values of triplicate determinations from four independent experiments. All lanes contain protein recovered from the same number of trophoblast (1.5 × 10⁶ per assay). The asterisk represents the results of a two-tailed Student t test with both P < 0.001, (compared with 80-kDa band of normal trophoblast).