Name: in vitro assays to evaluate the migration, invasion, and proliferation of immortalized human first-trimester trophoblast cell lines
Uploaded: 2019-03-05T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vitro Assays to Evaluate the Migration, Invasion, and Proliferation of Immortalized Human First-trimester Trophoblast Cell Lines at JoVE.com

The authors thank Dr. Gil Mor for providing the Sw.71 cells. This research was supported by an Albert McKern Scholar Award to S.W.

1. Cell Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Maintain cells in T-75 flasks in standard growth media at 37 &#176;C, 5% CO2, and 95% humidity. 
	NOTE: The cells used in these experiments were the immortalized first-trimester trophoblast cell lines Swan.71 (Sw.71) and HTR-8/SVneo9,10. The Sw.71 cells were maintained in DMEM/F-12 supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1.0 mM sodium pyruvate, 10 mM HEPES, 0.10 mM MEM non-e...

<ol>
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V., Saleh, L., Bauer, S., Husslein, P., Kn&#246;fler, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=TNF&#x3b1;-Mediated+Induction+of+PAI-1+Restricts+Invasion+of+HTR-8/SVneo+Trophoblast+Cells.">TNF&#x3b1;-Mediated Induction of PAI-1 Restricts Invasion of HTR-8/SVneo Trophoblast Cells.</a> Placenta. 27 (2), 127-136 (2006).</li><li>Nadeem, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Nodal+Signals+through+Activin+Receptor-Like+Kinase+7+to+Inhibit+Trophoblast+Migration+and+Invasion.">Nodal Signals through Activin Receptor-Like Kinase 7 to Inhibit Trophoblast Migration and Invasion.</a> The American Journal of Pathology. 178 (3), 1177-1189 (2011).</li><li>Onogi, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hypoxia+inhibits+invasion+of+extravillous+trophoblast+cells+through+reduction+of+matrix+metalloproteinase+(MMP)-2+activation+in+the+early+first+trimester+of+human+pregnancy.">Hypoxia inhibits invasion of extravillous trophoblast cells through reduction of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activation in the early first trimester of human pregnancy.</a> Placenta. 32 (9), 665-670 (2011).</li><li>Straszewski-Chavez, S. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+isolation+and+characterization+of+a+novel+telomerase+immortalized+first+trimester+trophoblast+cell+line,+Swan+71.">The isolation and characterization of a novel telomerase immortalized first trimester trophoblast cell line, Swan 71.</a> Placenta. 30 (11), 939-948 (2009).</li><li>Graham, C. H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Establishment+and+characterization+of+first+trimester+human+trophoblast+cells+with+extended+lifespan.">Establishment and characterization of first trimester human trophoblast cells with extended lifespan.</a> Experimental Cell Research. 206 (2), 204-211 (1993).</li><li>Liang, C. C., Park, A. Y., Guan, J. 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This procedure builds on the use of migration and invasion assays to include the rate of cell proliferation as a potential contributor to measured differences in trophoblast cell movement. Used together, these in vitro assays are simple and effective methods that can be used to identify the cellular pathways that regulate trophoblast migration. As described above, trophoblast cells may be treated with hormones, cytokines, growth factors, or other molecules to determine their impact on trophoblast movement. Alternatively,...

Placental development is a crucial step in the establishment of pregnancy, impacting both maternal and fetal health. However, the mechanistic basis by which this process occurs is not fully understood. Cell migration is an important biological process that contributes to the establishment and functions of the placenta during pregnancy. Following blastocyst implantation, the trophectoderm differentiates into villous trophoblasts, which cover the surface of the chorionic villi and are involved in gas and nutrient exchange, and extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs), which migrate out from the villi and invade the maternal decidua and vasculature1. Migration of the EVTs is essential for remodeling maternal spiral arteries and establishing uteroplacental circulation to support fetal growth2. Inadequate trophoblast invasion during pregnancy results in abnormal placental development and may contribute to pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, intra-uterine growth restriction, and preterm birth3,4. Therefore, understanding the factors that affect trophoblast motility is essential to determining the pathways required for normal placentation.
Trophoblast migration is controlled by a complex network of signaling molecules, including growth factors, cytokines, hormones, and angiogenic factors5. Due to the limitations of studying the placenta in vivo, in vitro assays utilizing immortalized human trophoblast cell lines have been crucial to identifying factors that contribute to trophoblast motility. Scratch and invasion assays have been used extensively to quantitatively assess the role of individual molecules on trophoblast cell migration6,7,8. However, while useful in tandem to investigate how changes in migration may be caused by changes in cell invasiveness, these two assays do not account for additional mechanisms that may contribute to altered rates of cell migration. For example, reductions to the rate of cell proliferation may result in fewer cells available to migrate.
Here, we describe quantitative in vitro methods for assessing trophoblast migration using scratch, cell proliferation, and cell invasion assays. In the scratch assay, a uniform wound is created in a cell monolayer, and the migration of cells to fill the gap is measured by automated, time-lapse imaging of the wound size and density of cells within the wound. The cell proliferation assay is based on calculating the ratio of cells at each time point compared to a known starting quantity of cells. In the cell invasion assay, cells are seeded atop an extracellular matrix-coated cell culture insert chamber (e.g. Transwell), and the number of cells that invade through the extracellular matrix in response to chemo-attractant are counted.
The scratch assay is a simple and effective tool that may be used to determine how different environmental conditions affect cell migration. The proliferation and invasion assays may subsequently be used to determine the contribution of cell proliferation and invasiveness to overall changes in cell migration. Collectively, these assays provide robust measurements of biological processes that may contribute to cell motility. Two immortalized first-trimester trophoblast cell lines were used in the described assays, Swan.71 (Sw.71) and HTR-8/SVneo9,10. However, these assays may also be optimized for use in other cell types to identify key modulators of cell migration and invasion.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>0.4% Trypan blue stain</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15250-061</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.5% Trypsin-EDTA</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15400-054</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1.0 M HEPES</td>
			<td>AmericanBio</td>
			<td>AB06021-00100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10 mM MEM non-essential amino acids</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>11140-050</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100 mM sodium pyruvate</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>11360-070</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24-well plate transwell inserts</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3422</td>
			<td>Contain polycarbonate filters with an 8 &#956;m pore size</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Charcoal dextran-stripped FBS</td>
			<td>Gemini Bio-Products</td>
			<td>100-119</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Countess II Automated Cell Counter</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>AMQAX1000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Crystal Violet</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>C0775</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cytoseal 60</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>8310-4</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dexamethasone (Dex; 1, 4-pregnadien-9&#945;-fluoro-16&#945;-methyl-11&#946;, 17, 21-triol-3, 20-dione; &#8805;98% TLC)</td>
			<td>Steraloids</td>
			<td>P0500-000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM/Ham&#8217;s F12</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>11330-032</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>F2442</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IncuCyte 24-well ImageLock Plates</td>
			<td>Essen BioScience</td>
			<td>4365</td>
			<td>If using the IncuCyte Zoom imaging system, seed cells onto IncuCyte ImageLock Plates. These plates have fiducial markers on the bottom of the plate that are used as a reference for repeat imaging in a constant field of view.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IncuCyte software</td>
			<td>Essen BioScience</td>
			<td>2010A Rev2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IncuCyte ZOOM system</td>
			<td>Essen BioScience</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td>Scratch assay images were captured and analyzed using the preset &#8220;Scratch Wound&#8221; parameters on the IncuCyte ZOOM system. Other time-lapse microscopes may also be used.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Matrigel Membrane Matrix</td>
			<td>Becton Dickinson</td>
			<td>356231</td>
			<td>Growth factor reduced, phenol-red free</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro Slides</td>
			<td>VWR International, LLC</td>
			<td>48311-7003</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope cover glass</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-545-E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Olympus IX71 inverted microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>IX71</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin (10,000 units/mL)/streptomycin (10,000 &#181;g/mL)</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>151-40-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phenol-red free DMEM/Ham&#39;s F12</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>11039-021</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Semi-automatic wound maker tool</td>
			<td>Essen BioScience</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

in vitro assays to evaluate the migration, invasion, and proliferation of immortalized human first-trimester trophoblast cell lines

Cell movement is a critical property of trophoblasts during placental development and early pregnancy. The significance of proper trophoblast migration and invasion is demonstrated by pregnancy disorders such as pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction, which are associated with inadequate trophoblast invasion of the maternal vasculature. Unfortunately, our understanding of the mechanisms by which the placenta develops from migrating trophoblasts is limited. In vitro analysis of cell migration via the scratch assay is a useful tool in identifying factors that regulate trophoblast migratory capacity. However, this assay alone does not define the cellular changes that can result in altered cell migration. This protocol describes three different in vitro assays that are used collectively to evaluate trophoblast cell movement: the scratch assay, the invasion assay, and the proliferation assay. The protocols described here may also be modified for use in other cell lines to quantify cell movement in response to stimuli. These methods allow investigators to identify individual factors that contribute to the cell movement and provide a thorough examination of potential mechanisms underlying apparent changes in cell migration.

The immortalized human first-trimester trophoblast cell lines Sw.71 and HTR-8/SVneo were used in these experiments to determine the role of glucocorticoids in trophoblast cell migration12. Glucocorticoids were used in these experiments as they have recently been shown to alter trophoblast functions, although alternative treatments could be used12. Both cell lines were treated with vehicle (1x PBS) or 100 nM of the synthetic glucocorticoid de...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vitro Assays to Evaluate the Migration, Invasion, and Proliferation of Immortalized Human First-trimester Trophoblast Cell Lines at JoVE.com

In Vitro Assays to Evaluate the Migration, Invasion, and Proliferation of Immortalized Human First-trimester Trophoblast Cell Lines

Here, we present a highly accessible protocol for evaluating the cell movement in human trophoblast cells using three in vitro assays: the scratch assay, the transwell invasion assay, and the cell proliferation assay.

Cell movement is a critical property of trophoblasts during placental development and early pregnancy. The significance of proper trophoblast migration ...

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