Activation of proneuronal transcription factor Ascl1 in maternal liver ensures a healthy pregnancy
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: PRJNA774808 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
Similar Datasets
Project description:Background & Aims: Maternal liver exhibits robust adaptations to pregnancy to accommodate the metabolic needs of developing and growing placenta and fetus by largely unknown mechanisms. We found that achaete-scute homolog-like 1 (Ascl1), a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor essential for neuronal development, is highly activated in maternal hepatocytes during the second half of gestation in mice. Methods: To investigate whether and how Ascl1 plays a pregnancy-dependent role, we deleted the Ascl1 gene specifically in maternal hepatocytes from mid-gestation until term. Results: As a result, we identified multiple Ascl1-dependent phenotypes. Maternal livers lacking Ascl1 exhibited aberrant hepatocyte structure, increased hepatocyte proliferation, enlarged hepatocyte size, reduced albumin production, and elevated release of liver enzymes, indicating maternal liver dysfunction. Simultaneously, maternal pancreas and spleen and the placenta displayed marked overgrowth; and the maternal ceca microbiome showed alterations in relative abundance of several bacterial subpopulations. Moreover, litters born from maternal hepatic Ascl1-deficient dams experienced abnormal postnatal growth after weaning, implying an adverse pregnancy outcome. Mechanistically, we found that maternal hepatocytes deficient for Ascl1 exhibited robust activation of insulin-like growth factor 2 expression, which may contribute to the Ascl1-dependent phenotypes widespread in maternal and uteroplacental compartments. Conclusion: In summary, we demonstrate that maternal liver, via activating Ascl1 expression, modulates the adaptations of maternal organs and the growth of the placenta to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Our studies reveal Ascl1 as a novel and critical regulator of the physiology of pregnancy.
2021-10-28 | GSE186620 | GEO
Project description:Background & aimsMaternal liver shows robust adaptations to pregnancy to accommodate the metabolic needs of the developing and growing placenta and fetus by largely unknown mechanisms. We found that Ascl1, a gene encoding a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor essential for neuronal development, is highly activated in maternal hepatocytes during the second half of gestation in mice.MethodsTo investigate whether and how Ascl1 plays a pregnancy-dependent role, we deleted the Ascl1 gene specifically in maternal hepatocytes from midgestation until term.ResultsAs a result, we identified multiple Ascl1-dependent phenotypes. Maternal livers lacking Ascl1 showed aberrant hepatocyte structure, increased hepatocyte proliferation, enlarged hepatocyte size, reduced albumin production, and increased release of liver enzymes, indicating maternal liver dysfunction. Simultaneously, maternal pancreas and spleen and the placenta showed marked overgrowth; and the maternal ceca microbiome showed alterations in relative abundance of several bacterial subpopulations. Moreover, litters born from maternal hepatic Ascl1-deficient dams experienced abnormal postnatal growth after weaning, implying an adverse pregnancy outcome. Mechanistically, we found that maternal hepatocytes deficient for Ascl1 showed robust activation of insulin-like growth factor 2 expression, which may contribute to the Ascl1-dependent phenotypes widespread in maternal and uteroplacental compartments.ConclusionsIn summary, we show that maternal liver, via activating Ascl1 expression, modulates the adaptations of maternal organs and the growth of the placenta to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Our studies show that Ascl1 is a novel and critical regulator of the physiology of pregnancy.
| S-EPMC8600092 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Metabolic variations occur during normal pregnancy to provide the growing fetus with a supply of nutrients required for its development and to ensure the health of the woman during gestation. Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics was employed to study the metabolic phenotype variations in the maternal plasma that are induced by pregnancy in each of its three trimesters. Nontargeted metabolomics analysis showed that pregnancy significantly altered the profile of metabolites in maternal plasma. The levels of six metabolites were found to change significantly throughout pregnancy, with related metabolic pathway variations observed in biopterin metabolism, phospholipid metabolism, amino acid derivatives, and fatty acid oxidation. In particular, there was a pronounced elevation of dihydrobiopterin (BH2), a compound produced in the synthesis of dopa, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, in the second trimester, whereas it was markedly decreased in the third trimester. The turnover of BH2 and tryptophan catabolites indicated that the fluctuations of neurotransmitters throughout pregnancy might reveal the metabolic adaption in the maternal body for the growth of the fetus. Furthermore, 11 lipid classes and 41 carnitine species were also determined and this showed variations in the presence of long-chain acylcarnitines and lysophospholipids in later pregnancy, suggesting changes of acylcarnitines and lysophospholipids to meet the energy demands in pregnant women.
2015-03-03 | MTBLS146 | MetaboLights
Project description:Normal pregnancy requires adaptations of the maternal vasculature. During preeclampsia these adjustments are not well established, resulting in maternal hypertension and proteinuria. The effects of preeclampsia on the maternal vasculature are not yet fully understood. We aimed to identify gene expression differences in the aorta between non pregnant, healthy pregnant, and experimental preeclamptic rats using a genome wide approach. Whole aortic tissue was isolated from rats with low-dose LPS-induced preeclampsia, healthy pregnant and non-pregnant rats. Gene expression was measured by a whole genome microarray.
2017-11-01 | GSE96610 | GEO
Project description:Maternal immune cells (called 'Maternal microchimeric cells' (short: MMc)) seed fetal brain tissue during pregnancy. We used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to characterize the diversity of MMc in the fetal brain.
2022-07-04 | GSE207327 | GEO
Project description:Although recent studies have revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate fundamental Natural Killer (NK) cell processes including cytotoxicity and cytokine production, little is known about the miRNA-gene regulatory relationships in maternal peripheral blood NK (pNK) cells during pregnancy. To predict the role of miRNAs within gene regulatory networks of maternal pNK cells during pregnancy, we performed comprehensive miRNA and gene expression profiling of maternal pNK cells using a combination of real-time PCR-based array and DNA microarray analyses and analyzed these differential expression levels between first- and third-trimester pNK cells. Furthermore, we constructed regulatory networks for miRNA-mediated gene expression in pNK cells during pregnancy by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. By PCR-based array analysis of miRNAs, 12 miRNAs including 6 placenta-derived miRNAs [chromosome 19 microRNA cluster (C19MC) miRNAs] were significantly upregulated in third-trimester pNK cells compared to first-trimester pNK cells. pNK cells incorporated C19MC miRNAs, whose interaction would be mediated via exosomes. Rapid clearance of C19MC miRNAs also occurred in NK cells after delivery. By DNA microarray analysis, 13 NK cell function-related genes were significantly downregulated between first- and third-trimester pNK cells. By pathway and network analysis, 9 downregulated NK-function-associated genes were in silico target candidates of 12 upregulated miRNAs including C19MC miRNA miR-512-3p. The results suggest that transfer of placental C19MC-miRNAs into maternal pNK cells occurs during pregnancy. The present study provides clues to understand maternal NK cell functions Gene expressions in human maternal peripheral blood NK cells were measured at 1st-trimester, 3rd-trimester. Five independent experiments were performed at each term (1st-trimester or 3rd-trimester) using different donors for each experiment.
2015-01-13 | E-GEOD-64884 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Background: pregnancy is associated with reduced activity of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the biological mechanisms underlying this pregnancy-related decrease in disease activity are poorly understood. This data series contains the subset of data used to generate a healthy donors signature comparing female healthy specimens before pregnancy with respect to female healthy specimens at ninth month pregnancy.
2010-01-10 | GSE17409 | GEO
Project description:Background: pregnancy is associated with reduced activity of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the biological mechanisms underlying this pregnancy-related decrease in disease activity are poorly understood. This data series contains the subset of data used to generate a healthy donors signature comparing female healthy specimens before pregnancy with respect to female healthy specimens at ninth month pregnancy. Subjects were followed in the outpatients clinic and blood was collected before pregnancy and at the following time points during pregnancy: first trimester (gestational age at sampling 12 weeks), second trimester (24 weeks), and third trimester (36 weeks). Before-pregnancy samples were obtained in a treatment-free period and after anticonceptional drug withdrawal. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from 11 women (7 healthy donors before pregnancy and 4 healthy donors at 9th month pregnancy) were analyzed by oligonucleotide microarray technology.
2010-01-09 | E-GEOD-17409 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Maternal Pregnancy Diet Effect on Fetal Brain Transcriptome
| PRJNA551685 | ENA
Project description:Maternally expressed proteins function in vertebrates to establish the major body axes of the embryo, and to establish a pre-pattern that sets the stage for later acting zygotic signals. This pre-pattern drives the propensity of Xenopus animal cap cells to adopt neural fates under various experimental conditions. Previous studies found that the maternally expressed transcription factor, encoded by the Xenopus achaete-scute like gene ascl1, is enriched at the animal pole. Asc1l is a bHLH protein involved in neural development, but its maternal function has not been studied. In this study, we have performed a series of gain and loss of function experiments on maternal ascl1, and present three novel findings. First, Ascl1 is a repressor of mesendoderm induced by VegT, but not of Nodal induced mesendoderm. Secondly, a previously uncharacterized N-terminal domain of Ascl1 interacts with HDAC1 to inhibit mesendoderm gene expression. This N-terminal domain is dispensable for its neurogenic function, indicating that Ascl1 has acts by different mechanisms at different times. Ascl1-mediated repression of mesendoderm genes was dependent on HDAC activity and accompanied by histone deacetylation in the promoter regions of VegT targets. Finally, maternal Ascl1 is required for animal cap cells to retain their competence to adopt neural fates. These results establish maternal Asc1l as a key factor in establishing the pre-pattern of the early embryo, acting in opposition to VegT and biasing the animal pole to adopt neural fates. The data presented here significantly extend our understanding of early embryonic pattern formation. Examination of genes expression in control (cMO) and Ascl1 MO knockdown (AMOs) embryos by deep sequencing.
2016-01-16 | E-GEOD-76915 | biostudies-arrayexpress