Megalin expression in human term and preterm placental villous tissues: Effect of gestational age and sample processing and storage time

These data suggest that expression of megalin mRNA in term placental villous tissue is relatively stable for up to 18 h when samples are processed immediately and refrigerated at 4 °C prior to freezing. Processing prior to storage also appears to improve mRNA stability. This paper demonstrates the practical feasibility of analyzing stored tissue samples, thus, it will help with placental mRNA analysis. Additionally, megalin expression appears to vary inversely with gestational age with the greatest expression noted in the most premature samples. Age-dependent differences in placental megalin may therefore influence fetal exposure.