Figure 1 | Scientific Reports

Gross anatomy and cellular features of terminal chorionic villi (TCV) isolated from a human placenta at full term.

(a) Chorionic villi after the removal of maternal decidua (Scale bar, 3 mm). Maternal and fetal cells were isolated from small pieces from the encircled termini (1 mm² area). (b) H&E stained histological features in a longitudinal section of the terminal villi and their matched male/female cell specific FISH analysis (a similar analysis of cells in the transverse section is shown in Supplementary Figure S2). Left panel shows the lower magnification (scale bar, 50 μm) and the right panels show the boxed region at higher magnification (scale bar, 10 μm). Cytotrophoblast (CT), syncytiotrophoblast (ST), fetal blood vessel (FBV), fetal blood cells (FBC) and a maternal cell within the cytotrophoblast layer are seen. (c) High resolution FISH-based detection of male fetal and maternal cells in a longitudinal section of a terminal chorionic villus (a similar analysis in the transverse section of the villi is shown in Supplementary Figure S2); Left panel shows the lower magnification (scale bar, 50 μm) and the right panels show the boxed region at higher magnification (scale bar, 10 μm). Arrows show two more maternal cells in the villus. (d) The percentage distribution of maternal (green, 5%) and male fetal cells (red, 95%) obtained from the X and Y specific-chromosome FISH analysis (n = 3).