Project description:Placentas of obese women have low mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids (FA) and accumulate lipids in late pregnancy. This creates a lipotoxic environment, impairing placental efficiency. We assessed expression of key regulators of FA metabolism in first trimester placentas of lean and obese women. Expression of genes associated with FA oxidation (FAO; ACOX1, CPT2, AMPKα), FA uptake (LPL, LIPG, MFSD2A), FA synthesis (ACACA) and storage (PLIN2) were significantly reduced in placentas of obese compared to lean women. This effect was exacerbated in placentas of male fetuses. The PPARα pathway was enriched for placental genes impacted by obesity. These results demonstrate that obesity and hyperlipidemia impact placental FA metabolism as early as 7 weeks of pregnancy.
Project description:Single cell RNA sequencing of human first trimester placenta were generated by deep sequencing using the 10x Genomics Chromium Single Cell Gene Expression Solution (10xgenomics.com).
Project description:The study compares expression differences between first and second trimester placenta in humans. RNA-Sequencing was performed on villi obtained at 7-8 (n=8) and 13-14 (n=6) weeks’ gestational age.
Project description:This study is the first characterization of the first trimester placenta transcriptome, highlighting similarities and differences among the sexes in ongoing human pregnancies resulting in live births. Sexual dimorphism may contribute to pregnancy outcomes, including fetal growth and birth weight, which was seen in our cohort, with males significantly heavier than females at birth. This transcriptome provides a basis for development of early diagnostic tests of placental function that can indicate overall pregnancy heath, fetal-maternal health, and long term adult health.
Project description:This study is the first characterization of the first trimester placenta transcriptome, highlighting similarities and differences among the sexes in ongoing human pregnancies resulting in live births. Sexual dimorphism may contribute to pregnancy outcomes, including fetal growth and birth weight, which was seen in our cohort, with males significantly heavier than females at birth. This transcriptome provides a basis for development of early diagnostic tests of placental function that can indicate overall pregnancy heath, fetal-maternal health, and long term adult health.
Project description:Fifteen DNA methylation array experiments were performed on five human chromosome specific array platforms (NimbleGen: HG18_CHR13_FT, HG18_CHR18_FT, HG18_CHR21_FT, HG18_CHRX_FT, HG18_CHRY_FT), comparing: (1) one female whole blood immunoprecipitated DNA fragments to their input DNA, (2) one 1st trimester normal placenta immunoprecipitated DNA fragments to their input DNA and (3) one 3rd trimester normal placenta immunoprecipitated DNA fragments to their input DNA.