Project description:We used in silico analyses to identify the distinct transcriptome signatures of two populations living at high altitudes and identified potential mechanisms that underlie high-altitude adaptation. Data generated in this study indicate that placentas from Tibetan women are genetically distinct from European women at high altitudes, and appear to be protected from hypoxia and stress.
Project description:The iTRAQ analysis combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was performed to separate differentially expressed placental proteins from 4 pregnant women with ICP and 4 healthy pregnant women.
Project description:Pregnancy in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) women is associated to increased risk of clinical and obstetrical complications. Placentas from SCD pregnancies can present increased abnormal findings, which may lead to placental insufficiency, favoring adverse perinatal outcome. These placental abnormalities are well known and reported, however little is known about the molecular mechanisms, such as epigenetics. Thus, our aim was to evaluate the DNA methylation profile in placentas from women with SCD (HbSS and HbSC genotypes), compared to uncomplicated controls (HbAA). We included in this study 11 pregnant women with HbSS, 11 with HbSC and 21 with HbAA genotypes. Illumina Methylation EPIC BeadChip was used to assess the whole placental DNA methylation. Pyrosequencing was used for array data validation and qRT-PCR was applied for gene expression analysis. Our results showed high frequency of hypermethylated CpGs sites in HbSS and HbSC groups with 73.5% and 76.2% respectively, when compared with the control group. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) also showed an increased hypermethylation status for the HbSS (89%) and HbSC (86%) groups, when compared with the control group methylation data. DMRs were selected for methylation validation (4 DMRs-HbSS and 3 DMRs the HbSC groups) and after analyses three were validated in the HbSS group, and none in the HbSC group. The gene expression analysis showed differential expression for the PTGFR (-2.97-fold) and GPR56 (3.0-fold) genes in the HbSS group, and for the SPOCK1 (-2.40-fold) and ADCY4 (1.80-fold) genes in the HbSC group. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that SCD (HbSS and HbSC genotypes) can alter placental DNA methylation and lead to gene expression changes. These changes possibly contribute to abnormal placental development and could impact in the clinical course, especially for the fetus, possibly leading to increased risk of abortion, fetal growth restriction (FGR), stillbirth, small for gestational age newborns and prematurity.
Project description:We used in silico analyses to identify the distinct transcriptome signatures of two populations living at high altitudes and identified potential mechanisms that underlie high-altitude adaptation. Data generated in this study indicate that placentas from Tibetan women are genetically distinct from European women at high altitudes, and appear to be protected from hypoxia and stress.
Project description:Preeclampsia (PE) is a common pregnancy disorder, and it complicates 5~7% of all pregnancies. At present, termination of pregnancy is the only curative strategy for PE. To explore a potential target for PE treatment, we collected placental tissue samples from patients with preeclampsia (PE) and normal pregnant women (N), and performed high-throughput RNA sequencing. We found that FOXP2 was significantly downregulated in placental samples of patients with PE compared with the controls.
Project description:We used microarrays to determine the transcriptional profiles of placental tissue obtained from women who smoked during pregnancy and from women who did not smoke during pregnancy. Fetal growth restriction is a frequent complication in mothers who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy. To evaluate novel pathways that regulate fetal growth affected by mothers who smoke, we isolated placental mRNA from smoking mothers with severe fetal growth restriction and compared them by microarray analysis to non-smoking mothers with appropriately grown fetuses. Bioinformatics analysis revealed distinct transcriptional patterns in the placentas of smoking mothers when compared to placentas from control non-smoking women. Analyses of the top upregulated and downregulated genes revealed several gene products such as secreted frizzled related protein 1 that was markedly upregulated in the placentas from women who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy. Total RNA was isolated from placental specimens obtained at time of delivery. RNA was hybridized to Affymetrix arrays, and analyzed.