Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of normal and trisomic placentas, and maternal blood cell DNA. The aim of this study was to search for methylation differences between maternal and fetal(placenta) cell free DNA, and between normal and trisomic placentas for an optimized methylation based noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aberations. The Illumina Infinium 450k Human DNA methylation Beadchip was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 450,000 CpGs in DNA samples from Chorionic villus samples(CVS) and DNA samples from whole blood. Samples included 12 Maternal blood cell samples from normal pregnancies, 12 normal CVS, 12 Trisomy 21 CVS, 12 trisomy 18 CVS and 6 trisomy 13 CVS samples.
Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of normal and trisomic placentas, and maternal blood cell DNA. The aim of this study was to search for methylation differences between maternal and fetal(placenta) cell free DNA, and between normal and trisomic placentas for an optimized methylation based noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aberations. The Illumina Infinium 450k Human DNA methylation Beadchip was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 450,000 CpGs in DNA samples from Chorionic villus samples(CVS) and DNA samples from whole blood. Samples included 12 Maternal blood cell samples from normal pregnancies, 12 normal CVS, 12 Trisomy 21 CVS, 12 trisomy 18 CVS and 6 trisomy 13 CVS samples. Bisulphite converted DNA from the 54 samples were hybridized to the Illumina Infinium 450k Human Methylation Beadchip.
Project description:Placentation requires the proper regulation of extravillous trophoblast (EVT) migration and invasion into the decidua and maternal vasculature, processes which are initiated in physiologic hypoxic conditions. Abnormal EVT migration and/or invasion have been suggested to lead to pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia. The objectives of this study are to determine how exposure to hypoxia impacts gene expression and cellular motility of first trimester trophoblasts, and to assess if expression of migration-associated genes is dysregulated in 2nd trimester chorionic villous samples (CVS) from preeclampsia pregnancies relative to CVS from healthy pregnancies. The 1st trimester trophoblast cell line, HTR8/SVneo, was used to investigate the relationship between hypoxia and Notch signaling in trophoblast migration and invasion. RNA sequencing and quantitative RT-PCR analyses show that exposure to hypoxia (2.5% O2) activates Notch signaling in HTR-8/SVneo. We demonstrate that exposure of HTR-8/SVneo to hypoxia induces expression of genes associated with cellular migration and invasion and increases HTR-8/SVneo cellular migration and invasion, whereas inhibition of gamma-secretase decreases Notch signaling and decreases HTR-8/SVneo migration and invasion. Analysis of RNA sequencing data from CVS of preeclampsia and uncomplicated pregnancies identified significant differentially expressed genes that are involved in cellular migration and invasion. Decreased expression of migration and invasion genes in CVS from preeclampsia pregnancies, may impair trophoblast migration and invasion in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, resulting in the development of preeclampsia.
Project description:Comparative analysis of DNA methylation in 12 human chorionic villus samples and 12 human maternal blood cell samples We performed a genome wide analysis of DNA methylation first trimester CVS samples and gestational age matched MBCs. We analyzed DNA samples obtained from 12 CVS samples and 12 MBC samples. Data were generated using two high-throughput approaches: the Infinium “humanmethylation27” platform marketed by Illumina and a custom Agilent-based platform. We then compared these data with genome wide transcription data for the same tissues. This Series covers only the Illumina HumanMethylation27 part of the study.
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:The human placenta is covered by a single multinucleated fetal cell, the syncytiotrophoblast, which is bathed in maternal blood. During all pregnancies, membrane enclosed extracellular vesicles derived from the syncytiotrophoblast are extruded into the maternal blood.The large size of these extracellular vesicles (diameter larger than 10µm) is referred to as trophoblastic debris in this study. We have shown in the past that endothleial cells are involved in clearence of this trophoblastic debris and induction of immune tolerence by trophoblastic debris.This study aimed to characterise the transcriptional changes that occur in human vascular endothelial cells following exposure to trophoblastic debris from normal first trimester placentae. Microarrays were used to probe transcriptomic changes 2 and 21 hours after exposure of endothelial cells (Human microvascular endothelial cell line,HMEC-1) to trophoblastic debris from normal first trimester placentae
Project description:Human placenta bulk small RNA-seq from healthy pregnancies without infertility, from n=113 first trimester (58 female, 55 male) and n=47 third trimester (19 female, 28 male) tissue samples. Tissue was collected at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, USA. First trimester placenta was collected at 70-102 days of gestation from leftover chorionic villus sampling for prenatal genetic diagnosis. Third trimester placenta was collected after delivery at 254-290 days gestation from the fetal side near the umbilical cord insertion site beneath the amnion. Mothers with pre-existing diabetes or hypertension were excluded. All pregnancies were conceived without fertility treatments, were normal karyotype, and resulted in live singleton births. The average parental age was advanced (over 35 years old) but PCA analysis did not show clustering by either maternal or paternal age. Gonzalez et al 2021 [PMID: 34030457] analyzes similarities and differences between first and third trimester miRNA expression overall. Flowers et al 2021 focuses on the effect of fetal sex on miRNA expression across gestation.
Project description:The human placenta is covered by a single multinucleated fetal cell, the syncytiotrophoblast, which is bathed in maternal blood. During all pregnancies, membrane enclosed extracellular vesicles derived from the syncytiotrophoblast are extruded into the maternal blood.The large size of these extracellular vesicles (diameter larger than 10µm) is referred to as trophoblastic debris in this study. We have shown in the past that endothleial cells are involved in clearence of this trophoblastic debris and induction of immune tolerence by trophoblastic debris.This study aimed to characterise the transcriptional changes that occur in human vascular endothelial cells following exposure to trophoblastic debris from normal first trimester placentae. Microarrays were used to probe transcriptomic changes 2 and 21 hours after exposure of endothelial cells (Human microvascular endothelial cell line,HMEC-1) to trophoblastic debris from normal first trimester placentae Trophoblastic debris were isolated by low speed centrifugation from three individual first trimester human placentae (three biological replicates). The protein content in trophoblastic debris was measured by BCA assay. HMEC-1 was co-cultured with trophoblastic debris (60ug/ml total debris protein contents) for either 2 or 21 hours before RNA extraction. Untreated HMEC-1 at 2 and 21 hours were used as controls.In total, 12 samples were analyzed.
Project description:We profiled gene expression at the maternal-fetal interface during the second trimester of pregnancy (13-22 wks) in trisomy 13 (T13; Patau syndrome, n = 4), trisomy 18 (T18; Edwards syndrome, n = 4), trisomy 21 (T21; Down syndrome, n = 8), and in euploid pregnancies (n = 4). FISH confirmed the ploidy of the samples. Global transcriptional profiling identified differentially expressed transcripts (? 2-fold) in T21 (n = 160), T18 (n = 80), and T13 (n = 125). The majority were upregulated. Unexpectedly, most of the misexpressed genes were not located on the relevant trisomic chromosome, suggesting genome-wide dysregulation. A much smaller proportion of the differentially expressed transcripts were encoded on the aneuploid chromosome, also implicating gene dosage (1-5). In T21, <10% of the genes were transcribed from that chromosome, all but one from the Down syndrome critical region (21q21-22), which is postulated to play an important role in the clinical phenotype. For T13 and T18, a higher proportion of the overexpressed genes were located on the trisomic chromosome. In T13, 15% of the upregulated genes were on the affected chromosome; 15 resided on the long arm, 13q11-14. In T18, the percentage increased to 24, 15 of which were also located on the long arm (18q11-22). Our data suggested that the placental (and possibly fetal) phenotypes that are associated with T13, T18 and T21 are driven by the combined effects of genome-wide phenomena and increased gene dosage from critical regions of the triploid chromosome. We profiled gene expression at the maternal-fetal interface during the second trimester of pregnancy (13-22 wks) in trisomy 13 (T13; Patau syndrome, n = 4), trisomy 18 (T18; Edwards syndrome, n = 4), trisomy 21 (T21; Down syndrome, n = 8), and in euploid pregnancies (n = 4). FISH confirmed the ploidy of the samples.
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.