Fig. 1: PIEZO1 is expressed in placental trophoblasts.

A Immunofluorescence staining of PIEZO1 (green) and nuclei (Hoechst, blue) in human first-trimester placenta villi with higher magnification shown on the right. B Immunofluorescence staining of PIEZO1 (green) in BeWo cells. C Representative single channel mechanosensitive currents from BeWo cells. Currents were elicited by −60 mmHg pressure and recorded at voltage steps from −100 mV to −40 mV in 20 mV increments with holding potential at 0 mV. D The current-voltage (I-V) relationship for the currents in (C). The data were fitted with linear regression, obtaining a single-channel conductance of 29.3 ± 1.8 pS (n = 5 individual cells). E Representative cell-attached pressure-clamp recording of control-siRNA and PIEZO1-siRNA treated BeWo cells (left). The macroscopic current was elicited by pressure steps ranging from 0 to −60 mmHg with a holding potential at −80 mV. F The current-pressure relationship for the mechanosensitive current recorded from BeWo cells treated with control-siRNA and PIEZO1-siRNA. G PIEZO1 current amplitudes at –60 mmHg in (F). Unpaired 2-sided Student t-test. ∗∗∗∗: p = 0.0000044338. In F and G, n = 10 and 11 for control siRNA and PIEZO1 siRNA treated cells, respectively. H Representative Ca²⁺ (red) imaging of control and PIEZO1 siRNA knockdown BeWo cells stimulated with 10 µM Yoda1. I Time course quantification of Ca²⁺ levels in control (n = 21) and PIEZO1 siRNA (n = 25) knockdown BeWo cells following 10 µM Yoda1 stimulation (indicated by the arrow). Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m from 7 biological replicates. J Immunofluorescence of tdTomato (magenta), MCT1 (a marker for SynT-1 layer, green), MCT4 (a marker for SynT-2 layer, red), and DAPI (blue) for the placenta from Piezo1-td-Tomato transgenic mouse at E13.0. Left: schematic of mouse placental labyrinth showing the maternal-fetal interface. Circular tdTomato+ and MCT1+ signals are red blood cells. n = 4 biological replicates. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.