The aims of this study were to ( 1 ) study autophagy by characterizing changes in levels of beclin-1 , DRAM , and LC3B in human placenta throughout gestation ; ( 2 ) determine whether autophagy is involved in regulation of trophoblast invasion in JEG-3 cells ( a choriocarcinoma cell line ) ; ( 3 ) examine the effects of reduced oxygen and glucose on the autophagic changes ; and ( 4 ) investigate the effect of reoxygenation and supplementation of glucose after oxygen-glucose deprivation ( OGD ) on the autophagic changes in primary cytotrophoblasts obtained from normal term pregnancy .