Project description:Prenatal development is a critical period for programming of neurological disease. Preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication involving oxidative stress in the placenta, has been associated with long-term health implications for the child, including an increased risk of developing schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders in later life. We have shown previously, in a rodent model of placental oxidative stress, that culture medium conditioned by the placenta alters neuronal characteristics when applied to primary cortical cultures in vitro and mimics many of the neurodevelopmental changes observed in the offspring brain. To further investigate if molecules released by the placenta may be important mediators in foetal programming of the brain, we analysed if placental tissue delivered from patients with preeclampsia secreted molecules that could affect cortical cells in culture. Application of culture medium conditioned by preeclamptic placentae to mixed cortical cultures caused changes in neurons and astrocytes that were related to key changes observed in brains of patients with schizophrenia and autism, including effects on dendrite lengths, astrocyte number as well as glutamate and GABA receptors. Treatment of the placental explants with an antioxidant prevented neuronal abnormalities. Furthermore, we identified that bidirectional communication between neurons and astrocytes, potentially via glutamate, is required to produce the effects of preeclamptic placenta medium on cortical cells. Analysis of possible signalling molecules in the placenta conditioned medium showed that the secretion profile of extracellular microRNA, small posttranscriptional regulators, was altered in preeclampsia and partially rescued by antioxidant treatment of the placental explants. Predicted targets of these differentially abundant microRNAs were linked to neurodevelopment and the placenta. The presented study provides further evidence that the diseased placenta may release factors that damage cortical cells in the brain and suggests the possibility of targeted antioxidant treatment of the placenta to prevent neurodevelopmental disorders.
Project description:Prenatal development is a critical period for programming of neurological disease. Preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication involving oxidative stress in the placenta, has been associated with long-term health implications for the child, including an increased risk of developing schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders in later life. To investigate if molecules released by the placenta may be important mediators in foetal programming of the brain, we analysed if placental tissue delivered from patients with preeclampsia secreted molecules that could affect cortical cells in culture. Application of culture medium conditioned by preeclamptic placentae to mixed cortical cultures caused changes in neurons and astrocytes that were related to key changes observed in brains of patients with schizophrenia and autism, including effects on dendrite lengths, astrocyte number as well as on levels of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid receptors. Treatment of the placental explants with an antioxidant prevented neuronal abnormalities. Furthermore, we identified that bidirectional communication between neurons and astrocytes, potentially via glutamate, is required to produce the effects of preeclamptic placenta medium on cortical cells. Analysis of possible signalling molecules in the placenta-conditioned medium showed that the secretion profile of extracellular microRNAs, small post-transcriptional regulators, was altered in preeclampsia and partially rescued by antioxidant treatment of the placental explants. Predicted targets of these differentially abundant microRNAs were linked to neurodevelopment and the placenta. The present study provides further evidence that the diseased placenta may release factors that damage cortical cells and suggests the possibility of targeted antioxidant treatment of the placenta to prevent neurodevelopmental disorders.
Project description:To determine differential expression of microRNAs in placentae with severe pre-eclampsia and normal placenta. Differential expression of microRNAs in placentae (4 severe pre-eclampsia and 4 normal control) was screened by microarray platform, then some differential microRNAs were selected and validated with real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in placentae of severe pre-eclampsia (n=24) and normal control group (n=26). Results: We validated the expression of some microRNAs altered in the microarray, and found the following microRNAs were significantly increased in severe pre-eclampsia placentae: miR-16, miR-29b, miR-195, miR-26b, miR-181a, miR-335 and miR-222. Conclusion: These differential microRNAs may play an important role in pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. We analyzed the microRNA expression in the placentae of Chinese patients with severe pre-eclampsia.
Project description:To determine differential expression of microRNAs in placentae with severe pre-eclampsia and normal placenta. Differential expression of microRNAs in placentae (4 severe pre-eclampsia and 4 normal control) was screened by microarray platform, then some differential microRNAs were selected and validated with real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in placentae of severe pre-eclampsia (n=24) and normal control group (n=26). Results: We validated the expression of some microRNAs altered in the microarray, and found the following microRNAs were significantly increased in severe pre-eclampsia placentae: miR-16, miR-29b, miR-195, miR-26b, miR-181a, miR-335 and miR-222. Conclusion: These differential microRNAs may play an important role in pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.
Project description:We used a whole genome approach to identify major functional gene categories (including xenobiotic transporters and metabolizing enzymes) whose expression depends on gestational age. STUDY DESIGN: We compared gene expression profiles of 1st (45-59 days) and 2nd trimester (109-115 days), and C-section term placentae. RESULTS: In 1st trimester placentae, genes related to cell cycle, DNA, aminoacids and carbohydrate metabolism were significantly overrepresented, while genes related to signal transduction were downregulated. In the organism defense category, we identified genes involved in chemical response, metabolism, and transport. Analysis of signal transduction pathways suggested, and subsequently confirmed independently, that the Wnt pathway was regulated by gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: Our study will serve as a reference database to gain insight into the regulation of gene expression in the developing placentae and, thus, allow comparisons with placentae from complicated pregnancies such as those in women experiencing gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and teratogenic sequelae. Experiment Overall Design: Comparison of plaental gene expression profiles of three gestational stages (1st trimester (45-59 days), 2nd trimester (109-115 days), and C-section term placentae), with four replicates each,
Project description:In this work, we have isolated a Hoescht side-population of trophoblasts from first trimester human placentae that cluster separately from more differentiated trophoblast populations, and have a transcriptomic profile indicative of a stem cell population. Hoescht side-population cells were compared in quintuplicate with extravillous trophoblasts and cytotrophoblasts extracted from the same placentae, giving a total of 15 samples.
Project description:We used a whole genome approach to identify major functional gene categories (including xenobiotic transporters and metabolizing enzymes) whose expression depends on gestational age. STUDY DESIGN: We compared gene expression profiles of 1st (45-59 days) and 2nd trimester (109-115 days), and C-section term placentae. RESULTS: In 1st trimester placentae, genes related to cell cycle, DNA, aminoacids and carbohydrate metabolism were significantly overrepresented, while genes related to signal transduction were downregulated. In the organism defense category, we identified genes involved in chemical response, metabolism, and transport. Analysis of signal transduction pathways suggested, and subsequently confirmed independently, that the Wnt pathway was regulated by gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: Our study will serve as a reference database to gain insight into the regulation of gene expression in the developing placentae and, thus, allow comparisons with placentae from complicated pregnancies such as those in women experiencing gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and teratogenic sequelae. Keywords: time series
Project description:AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Pregnancies complicated by diabetes have a higher risk of adverse outcomes for mothers and children, including predisposition to disease later in life, such as metabolic syndrome and hypertension. We hypothesized that adverse outcomes from diabetic pregnancies may be linked to compromised placental function. Our goal in this study was to identify cellular and molecular abnormalities in diabetic placenta. METHODS: Using a mouse model of diabetic pregnancy, placental gene expression was assayed at midgestation and cellular composition was analyzed at various stages. Genome-wide expression profiling was validated by quantitative PCR, and tissue localization studies were performed to identify cellular correlates of altered gene expression in diabetic placenta. RESULTS: We detected significantly altered gene expression in diabetic placenta for genes expressed in the maternal as well as those in the embryonic compartments. We also found altered cellular composition of the decidual compartment. Furthermore, the junctional and labyrinth layers were reduced in diabetic placenta, accompanied by aberrant differentiation of spongiotrophoblast cells. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Diabetes during pregnancy alters transcriptional profiles in the murine placenta, affecting cells of both embryonic and maternal origin, and involving several genes not previously implicated in diabetic pregnancies. The molecular changes and abnormal differentiation of multiple cell types precede impaired growth of junctional zone and labyrinth, and placenta overall. Whether these changes represent direct responses to hyperglycaemia or physiological adaptations, they are likely to play a role in pregnancy complications and outcomes, and have implications for developmental origins of adult disease. The STZ diabetic mouse model was used to investigate gene expression changes in diabetic placentae at E10.5. Placentae were dissected from 5 different FVB dams at embryonic day 10.5 under diabetic conditions and from 5 control dams. Gene expression profiles from five individual placentae from independent pregnancies per group were compared.
Project description:Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, of which the multisystem syndrome pre-eclampsia is the most severe, leading to preterm delivery, maternal mortality, and life-long complications. To elucidate early disease dynamics, we present the first spatio-temporal study comparing single-nuclei transcriptomes of human preterm pre-eclamptic placentae and healthy controls, contextualizing this in a comprehensive study including early and late gestational placentae. This study includes early placentae samples from the fetal part (villi; n=10), maternal part (Decidua; n=3), late placentae samples from healthy pregnancies, villi (n=6), decidua (n=4), and late placentae samples from early-onset preeclamptic pregnancies, villi (n=5) and decidua (n=5).
Project description:The placental renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is important for placentation. RAS expression is greatest in early gestation. This may be due (in part) to suppression of miRNAs that target the placental RAS, but this has never been explored. In this study, human placental miRNAs were measured at 10–11 (early), 14–18 (mid), and 38–40 (term) weeks gestation, as well as in placentae from women with early- or late-onset preeclampsia (n=4/group), using an Agilent miRNA microarray (V19). All miRNAs showed a gestational increase and could influence the transgestational profile of the human placental RAS. Additionally, on the array, three miRNAs predicted to target the RAS (miR-892c-3p, miR-378c and miR-514-3p ) were overexpressed in placentae of late-onset preeclamptic women.