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Ludidi A, Siboto A, Nkosi A, Xulu ND, Khathi A, Sibiya NH, Ngubane PS. High-fat, high-carbohydrate diet-induced prediabetes preconception in Sprague-Dawley rats as a risk factor for the development of preeclampsia: assessing changes in placental metabolic insults. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1241785. [PMID: 37937252 PMCID: PMC10626547 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1241785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hyperglycemia preconception deranges the establishment of a functional placenta; however, the risk of developing preeclampsia (PE) in prediabetic patients remains obscure. The aim was to assess abnormal placental changes as a risk factor for the development of PE in high-fat, high-carbohydrate (HFHC) diet-induced prediabetic (PD) rats. Methods HFHC diet-induced female prediabetic Sprague-Dawley rats were mated, and blood glucose concentrations, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and body weights were monitored on gestational days (GNDs) 0, 9, and 18. On GND 18, animals were euthanized. Blood and placentas were collected for biochemical analysis. Results Prediabetic rats showed significantly increased blood glucose concentration, proinflammatory cytokines, MAP, placental weight, and fetoplacental ratio compared with non-prediabetic (NPD) rats. Prediabetic rats showed significantly decreased placental vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and placental growth factor (PLGF) and plasma nitric oxide (NO) compared with NPD. Discussion Prediabetes may have promoted endothelial dysfunction in the placenta and hypoxia, thus reducing PLGF and VEGFR1, which may have promoted proinflammation, endothelial dysfunction associated with NO decline, and hypertension, which is also observed in preeclamptic patients. Prediabetes may have promoted lipogenesis in placentas and fetuses that may have induced macrosomia and IUGR, also observed in preeclamptic patients. The findings from this study highlight the need for screening and monitoring of prediabetes during pregnancy to reduce the risk of developing preeclampsia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asiphaphola Ludidi
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Anelisiwe Siboto
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Ayanda Nkosi
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Nombuso Duduzile Xulu
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Andile Khathi
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | | | - Phikelelani Siphosethu Ngubane
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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Kremer V, Oppelaar JJ, Gimbel T, Koziarek S, Ganzevoort W, van Pampus MG, van den Born BJ, Vogt L, de Groot C, Boon RA. Neuro-oncological Ventral Antigen 2 Regulates Splicing of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 1 and Is Required for Endothelial Function. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:678-689. [PMID: 35927413 PMCID: PMC9988812 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-022-01044-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Pre-eclampsia (PE) affects 2-8% of pregnancies and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. The maternal clinical syndrome (defined by hypertension, proteinuria, and organ dysfunction) is the result of endothelial dysfunction. The endothelial response to increased levels of soluble FMS-like Tyrosine Kinase 1 (sFLT1) is thought to play a central role. sFLT1 is released from multiple tissues and binds VEGF with high affinity and antagonizes VEGF. Expression of soluble variants of sFLT1 is a result of alternative splicing; however, the mechanism is incompletely understood. We hypothesize that neuro-oncological ventral antigen 2 (NOVA2) contributes to this. NOVA2 was inhibited in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and multiple cellular functions were assessed. NOVA2 and FLT1 expression in the placenta of PE, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and normotensive controls was measured by RT-qPCR. Loss of NOVA2 in HUVECs resulted in significantly increased levels of sFLT1, but did not affect expression of membrane-bound FLT1. NOVA2 protein was shown to directly interact with FLT1 mRNA. Loss of NOVA2 was also accompanied by impaired endothelial functions such as sprouting. We were able to restore sprouting capacity by exogenous VEGF. We did not observe statistically significant regulation of NOVA2 or sFLT1 in the placenta. However, we observed a negative correlation between sFLT1 and NOVA2 expression levels. In conclusion, NOVA2 was found to regulate FLT1 splicing in the endothelium. Loss of NOVA2 resulted in impaired endothelial function, at least partially dependent on VEGF. In PE patients, we observed a negative correlation between NOVA2 and sFLT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veerle Kremer
- Department of Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Chemistry, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Microcirculation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jetta J Oppelaar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Nephrology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Theresa Gimbel
- Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research DZHK, Partner Site Frankfurt Rhein/Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Koziarek
- Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research DZHK, Partner Site Frankfurt Rhein/Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Wessel Ganzevoort
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development, Amsterdam UMC University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Bert-Jan van den Born
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Atherosclerosis and Ischemic Syndromes, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Liffert Vogt
- Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Microcirculation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Nephrology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christianne de Groot
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Reinier A Boon
- Department of Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. .,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research DZHK, Partner Site Frankfurt Rhein/Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. .,Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Ruano CSM, Apicella C, Jacques S, Gascoin G, Gaspar C, Miralles F, Méhats C, Vaiman D. Alternative splicing in normal and pathological human placentas is correlated to genetic variants. Hum Genet 2021; 140:827-848. [PMID: 33433680 PMCID: PMC8052246 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-020-02248-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Two major obstetric diseases, preeclampsia (PE), a pregnancy-induced endothelial dysfunction leading to hypertension and proteinuria, and intra-uterine growth-restriction (IUGR), a failure of the fetus to acquire its normal growth, are generally triggered by placental dysfunction. Many studies have evaluated gene expression deregulations in these diseases, but none has tackled systematically the role of alternative splicing. In the present study, we show that alternative splicing is an essential feature of placental diseases, affecting 1060 and 1409 genes in PE vs controls and IUGR vs controls, respectively, many of those involved in placental function. While in IUGR placentas, alternative splicing affects genes specifically related to pregnancy, in preeclamptic placentas, it impacts a mix of genes related to pregnancy and brain diseases. Also, alternative splicing variations can be detected at the individual level as sharp splicing differences between different placentas. We correlate these variations with genetic variants to define splicing Quantitative Trait Loci (sQTL) in the subset of the 48 genes the most strongly alternatively spliced in placental diseases. We show that alternative splicing is at least partly piloted by genetic variants located either in cis (52 QTL identified) or in trans (52 QTL identified). In particular, we found four chromosomal regions that impact the splicing of genes in the placenta. The present work provides a new vision of placental gene expression regulation that warrants further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camino S M Ruano
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, CNRS, 24 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Clara Apicella
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, CNRS, 24 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Jacques
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, CNRS, 24 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Géraldine Gascoin
- Unité Mixte de Recherche MITOVASC, Équipe Mitolab, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
- Réanimation et Médecine Néonatales, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Angers, France
| | - Cassandra Gaspar
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, UMS Production et Analyse des Données en Sciences de la vie et en Santé, PASS, Plateforme Post-génomique de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, P3S, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Francisco Miralles
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, CNRS, 24 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Céline Méhats
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, CNRS, 24 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Daniel Vaiman
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, CNRS, 24 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France.
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Di Matteo A, Belloni E, Pradella D, Cappelletto A, Volf N, Zacchigna S, Ghigna C. Alternative splicing in endothelial cells: novel therapeutic opportunities in cancer angiogenesis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2020; 39:275. [PMID: 33287867 PMCID: PMC7720527 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-020-01753-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a pervasive molecular process generating multiple protein isoforms, from a single gene. It plays fundamental roles during development, differentiation and maintenance of tissue homeostasis, while aberrant AS is considered a hallmark of multiple diseases, including cancer. Cancer-restricted AS isoforms represent either predictive biomarkers for diagnosis/prognosis or targets for anti-cancer therapies. Here, we discuss the contribution of AS regulation in cancer angiogenesis, a complex process supporting disease development and progression. We consider AS programs acting in a specific and non-redundant manner to influence morphological and functional changes involved in cancer angiogenesis. In particular, we describe relevant AS variants or splicing regulators controlling either secreted or membrane-bound angiogenic factors, which may represent attractive targets for therapeutic interventions in human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Di Matteo
- Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elisa Belloni
- Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Davide Pradella
- Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Ambra Cappelletto
- Cardiovascular Biology Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Nina Volf
- Cardiovascular Biology Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Serena Zacchigna
- Cardiovascular Biology Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149, Trieste, Italy. .,Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Claudia Ghigna
- Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
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Role of Arginine Methylation in Alternative Polyadenylation of VEGFR-1 (Flt-1) pre-mRNA. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21186460. [PMID: 32899690 PMCID: PMC7554721 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21186460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mature mRNA is generated by the 3ʹ end cleavage and polyadenylation of its precursor pre-mRNA. Eukaryotic genes frequently have multiple polyadenylation sites, resulting in mRNA isoforms with different 3ʹ-UTR lengths that often encode different C-terminal amino acid sequences. It is well-known that this form of post-transcriptional modification, termed alternative polyadenylation, can affect mRNA stability, localization, translation, and nuclear export. We focus on the alternative polyadenylation of pre-mRNA for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1), the receptor for VEGF. VEGFR-1 is a transmembrane protein with a tyrosine kinase in the intracellular region. Secreted forms of VEGFR-1 (sVEGFR-1) are also produced from the same gene by alternative polyadenylation, and sVEGFR-1 has a function opposite to that of VEGFR-1 because it acts as a decoy receptor for VEGF. However, the mechanism that regulates the production of sVEGFR-1 by alternative polyadenylation remains poorly understood. In this review, we introduce and discuss the mechanism of alternative polyadenylation of VEGFR-1 mediated by protein arginine methylation.
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The Role of NFκB in Healthy and Preeclamptic Placenta: Trophoblasts in the Spotlight. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21051775. [PMID: 32150832 PMCID: PMC7084575 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21051775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The NFκB protein family regulates numerous pathways within the cell-including inflammation, hypoxia, angiogenesis and oxidative stress-all of which are implicated in placental development. The placenta is a critical organ that develops during pregnancy that primarily functions to supply and transport the nutrients required for fetal growth and development. Abnormal placental development can be observed in numerous disorders during pregnancy, including fetal growth restriction, miscarriage, and preeclampsia (PE). NFκB is highly expressed in the placentas of women with PE, however its contributions to the syndrome are not fully understood. In this review we discuss the molecular actions and related pathways of NFκB in the placenta and highlight areas of research that need attention.
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