Project description:Background: Early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE) and late-onset preeclampsia (LOPE) has been regarded as two different phenotypes with heterogeneous manifestation. The underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Aim to gain insight into the pathogenesis of the two traits, we analyzed the placental gene expression profiles in preeclampsia placentas. Methods: Whole genome-wide microarray was used to describe the gene expression profiles in the placenta tissues from patients with early-(n=7; <34 weeks), late-onset(n=8; >36 weeks) PE and their controls who delivered preterm (n=5;<34 weeks) or at term(n=5; >36 weeks) Genes were selected as differentially expressed upon a fold-changeâ?¥2 and q-value<0.05. qRT-PCR was undertaken to verify the results. Western blot was further performed to verify secreted genes at the protein level. Results: A total of 627 genes were differentially expressed in early-compared with late-onset PE. Of these, 177 genes were up-regulated and 450 genes down-regulated in early-onset PE. Go analysis showed significant alteration in several biological processes, in addition to the processes which have been found before, such as immune and inflammatory response, cell adhension, female pregnancy and blood vessel development. We also found alteration in G-protein coupled receptor protein signaling pathway, G protein-coupled receptor 124 (GPR124) (P=0.0064) and MAS-related GPR, member F (MRGPRF)(P=0.0155 ) were both down-regulated obviously in early-onset PE. Conclusion: The different gene expression profiles suggested early- and late-onset PE are separate disease entities. Moreover, G-protein coupled receptor protein signaling pathway may contribute to the mechanism underlying early- and late-onset preeclampsia. Whole genome-wide microarray was used to describe the gene expression profiles in the placenta tissues from patients with early-(n=7; <34 weeks), late-onset (n=8; >36 weeks) PE and their controls who delivered preterm(n=5;<34 weeks) or at term(n=5; >36 weeks). Pooled controls who delivered at term were labled with cy5.

Project description:Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide. While the root cause is still unknown, the underlying biology of the disorder is becoming more clear. We recently published a study showing large, significant differences in DNA methylation in 3rd trimester placental samples associated with early-onset preeclampsia (EOPET) compared to controls. In this study, to identify DNA methylation differences associated with preeclampsia that occur early in pregnancy and to further delineate common EOPET-associated differences, we utilized a genetic defect, trisomy 16 (T16), that is predisposing to preeclampsia. We ran T16 placental samples from the 1st trimester (n=5) and 3rd trimester (n=10) against gestational age matched controls on the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. Third trimester samples were from pregnancies with T16 confined to the placenta (confined placental mosaicism 16;CPM16), and consisted of samples that were and were not associated with EOPET (n=5 each). We identified a large number of DNA methylation differences in CPM16 samples compared to controls using stringent criteria (n=2254;False Discovery Rate <0.01, ->0.15). Several of these differences (11%) overlapped differences observed in chromosomally normal EOPET using similarly stringent criteria (FDR<0.01;->0.125). Isolating EOPET-associated probes produced a similar - distribution amongst CPM16 samples, although samples associated with EOPET showed a tendency towards larger DNA methylation differences. We also identified 262 DNA methylation differences between 1st trimester T16 and 1st trimester controls. Of these, 77 overlapped differences seen in 3rd trimester CPM16. Investigating these 77 T16/CPM16 specific DNA methylation differences, we identified three probes near two genes (ARGHEF37 and JUNB) that were also present as EOPET-associated methylation differences. In summary, we identified significant overlapping DNA methylation profiles of placentas with T16 and chromosomally normal placentas associated with EOPET. Specific DNA methylation marks within these profiles may be of future clinical utility in early identification of pregnancies susceptible to EOPET. Bisulfite converted DNA from 5 1st trimester trisomy 16 placentas, 5 chromosomally normal 1st trimester placentas, 10 third trimester placentas from confined placental mosaicism placentas and 10 chromosomally normal 3rd trimester placentas

Project description:Background Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy with significant maternal and fetal health implications. While the molecular mechanisms underlying early-onset preeclampsia have been studied extensively, less is known about late-onset preeclampsia, particularly with regard to fetal sex-specific effects. Understanding transcriptional changes in the placenta may provide insight into persistent mechanisms or downstream consequences of the disease, thereby contributing to our understanding of its pathophysiology. While the initiating events of late-onset preeclampsia occur earlier in gestation, analysis of term placental tissue can reveal cumulative effects of disease processes and identify biological pathways that remain altered at delivery. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional observational analysis of placental gene expression using RNA sequencing in a subset of 58 term placentas (21 male-bearing and 37 female-bearing pregnancies) drawn from two large prospective birth cohorts. Pregnancies were classified based on clinical diagnosis of late-onset preeclampsia (diagnosed ≥20 weeks’ gestation according to ISSHP criteria) or uncomplicated and assessed for differential gene expression. Cell type proportions were estimated using CIBERSORTx from a placenta-specific reference single-cell dataset. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified modules of co-expressed genes associated with late-onset preeclampsia and fetal sex. Results Differential gene expression analysis identified 150 genes with altered expression in male-bearing placentas from pregnancies with late-onset preeclampsia compared to those from uncomplicated pregnancies. No differentially expressed genes were identified in female-bearing placentas. Cell type deconvolution revealed increased abundance of CD14+ monocytes and CD8+ activated T cells (log odds of 1.42 and 1.44 respectively) and reduced fetal GZMK natural killer cells (log odds of 0.60) in male-bearing placentas from affected pregnancies. In female-bearing placentas, late-onset preeclampsia was associated with increased fetal nucleated red blood cells and maternal plasma cells (log odds of 1.33 and 1.40 respectively). Male-specific co-expression analysis identified gene modules enriched for biological processes including RNA processing, immune regulation, and metabolism. Conclusions Placental transcription and cellular responses to late-onset preeclampsia differ by fetal sex. Evidence of altered immune cell composition and gene co-expression in male-bearing placentas suggests a sex-specific vulnerability. These findings highlight the importance of considering fetal sex in molecular investigation and clinical management of preeclampsia.

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