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Li M, Liu M, Chen P, Duan S, Li Y, Ma Q, Yan G, Li H, Zhang J, You D. Amniotic fluid proteomic analysis identifies IL1RL1, APOE, and NECTIN4 as new biomarkers for preterm birth. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2024; 24:530. [PMID: 39134987 PMCID: PMC11321064 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-024-06734-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite extensive research, the identification of effective biomarkers for early prediction of preterm birth (PTB) continues to be a challenging endeavor. This study aims to identify amniotic fluid (AF) protein biomarkers useful for the early diagnosis of PTB. METHODS We initially identified the protein expression profiles in the AF of women with PTB (n = 22) and full-term birth (FTB, n = 22), from the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province who underwent amniocentesis from November 2019 to February 2020, using mass spectrometry employing the data-independent acquisition (DIA) technique, and then analyzed differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Subsequently, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and random forest analysis were employed to further screen the key proteins for PTB biomarker identification. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, calibration plots, and decision curve analyses (DCA) were utilized to assess the discrimination and calibration of the key biomarkers. RESULTS A total of 25 DEPs were identified between the PTB and FTB groups, comprising 13 up-regulated and 12 down-regulated proteins. Three key protein biomarkers for early PTB diagnosis were identified: IL1RL1 (interleukin-1 receptor-like 1), APOE (apolipoprotein E), and NECTIN4 (nectin cell adhesion molecule 4). The results of the ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the three proteins combined as a biomarker for early diagnosis of PTB was 0.913 (95% CI: 0.823-1.000), with a sensitivity of 0.864 and a specificity of 0.955, both superior to those of the individual biomarkers. Bootstrap internal validation revealed a concordance index (C-index) of 0.878, with a sensitivity of 0.812 and a specificity of 0.773, indicating the robust predictive performance of these biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS We identified three previously unexplored yet potentially useful protein biomarkers in AF for early PTB diagnosis: IL1RL1, APOE, and NECTIN4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China
| | - Mengmei Liu
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China
| | - Ping Chen
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China
| | - Sifan Duan
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China
| | - Yani Li
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China
| | - Qingyan Ma
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China
| | - Guanghong Yan
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China
| | - Hongying Li
- Department of Obstetrics, First People's Hospital of Qujing City, 1 Garden Road, Qilin District, Qujing, 655000, Qujing, Yunnan, P.R. China.
| | - Jinman Zhang
- Department of Medical Genetics, NHC Key Laboratory of Preconception Health Birth in Western China, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Birth Defects and Genetic Diseases, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, No 157, Jinbi Road, Xishan District, Kunming, 650000, Yunnan, P.R. China.
| | - Dingyun You
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, P.R. China.
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Cowan AD, Rasmussen M, Jain M, Tribe RM. Predicting Preterm Birth Using Cell-Free Ribonucleic Acid. Clin Perinatol 2024; 51:379-389. [PMID: 38705647 DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2024.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) is a complex and clinically heterogeneous condition that remains incompletely understood, leading to insufficient interventions to effectively prevent it from occurring. Cell-free ribonucleic acid signatures in the maternal circulation have the potential to identify biologically relevant subtypes of sPTB. These could one day be used to predict and prevent sPTB in asymptomatic individuals, and to aid in prognosis and management for individuals presenting with threatened preterm labor and preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison D Cowan
- Department of Medical Affairs, Mirvie, Inc., 651 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 1200, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.
| | - Morten Rasmussen
- Department of Research and Development, Mirvie, Inc., 651 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 1200, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Maneesh Jain
- Mirvie, Inc., 651 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 1200, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Rachel M Tribe
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital Campus, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK
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Robinson JF, Das S, Khan W, Khanam R, Price JT, Rahman A, Ahmed S, Ali SM, Deb S, Deveale B, Dutta A, Gormley M, Hall SC, Hasan ASMT, Hotwani A, Juma MH, Kasaro MP, Khalid J, Kshetrapal P, McMaster MT, Mehmood U, Nisar I, Pervin J, Rahman S, Raqib R, San A, Sarker P, Tuomivaara ST, Zhang G, Zhou Y, Aktar S, Baqui AH, Jehan F, Sazawal S, Stringer JSA, Fisher SJ. High rates of placental inflammation among samples collected by the Multi-Omics for Mothers and Infants consortium. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2024:S0002-9378(24)00560-X. [PMID: 38697337 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2024.04.034] [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: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Multi-Omics for Mothers and Infants consortium aims to improve birth outcomes. Preterm birth is a major obstetrical complication globally and causes significant infant and childhood morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE We analyzed placental samples (basal plate, placenta or chorionic villi, and the chorionic plate) collected by the 5 Multi-Omics for Mothers and Infants sites, namely The Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement Bangladesh, The Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement Pakistan, The Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement Tanzania, The Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth Bangladesh, and The Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth Zambia. The goal was to analyze the morphology and gene expression of samples collected from preterm and uncomplicated term births. STUDY DESIGN The teams provided biopsies from 166 singleton preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) and 175 term (≥37 weeks' gestation) deliveries. The samples were fixed in formalin and paraffin embedded. Tissue sections from these samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and subjected to morphologic analyses. Other placental biopsies (n=35 preterm, 21 term) were flash frozen, which enabled RNA purification for bulk transcriptomics. RESULTS The morphologic analyses revealed a surprisingly high rate of inflammation that involved the basal plate, placenta or chorionic villi, and the chorionic plate. The rate of inflammation in chorionic villus samples, likely attributable to chronic villitis, ranged from 25% (Pakistan site) to 60% (Zambia site) of cases. Leukocyte infiltration in this location vs in the basal plate or chorionic plate correlated with preterm birth. Our transcriptomic analyses identified 267 genes that were differentially expressed between placentas from preterm vs those from term births (123 upregulated, 144 downregulated). Mapping the differentially expressed genes onto single-cell RNA sequencing data from human placentas suggested that all the component cell types, either singly or in subsets, contributed to the observed dysregulation. Consistent with the histopathologic findings, gene ontology analyses highlighted the presence of leukocyte infiltration or activation and inflammatory responses in both the fetal and maternal compartments. CONCLUSION The relationship between placental inflammation and preterm birth is appreciated in developed countries. In this study, we showed that this link also exists in developing geographies. In addition, among the participating sites, we found geographic- and population-based differences in placental inflammation and preterm birth, suggesting the importance of local factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua F Robinson
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Sayan Das
- Public Health Laboratory Ivo de Carneri, Wawi, Chake, Pemba, Zanzibar, Tanzania
| | - Waqasuddin Khan
- Biorepository and Omics Research Group, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Rasheda Khanam
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Joan T Price
- UNC Global Projects - Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Anisur Rahman
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Said Mohammed Ali
- Public Health Laboratory Ivo de Carneri, Wawi, Chake, Pemba, Zanzibar, Tanzania
| | - Saikat Deb
- Public Health Laboratory Ivo de Carneri, Wawi, Chake, Pemba, Zanzibar, Tanzania; Center for Public Health Kinetics, Vinoba Puri, Lajpatnagar II, New Delhi, India
| | - Brian Deveale
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Arup Dutta
- Center for Public Health Kinetics, Vinoba Puri, Lajpatnagar II, New Delhi, India
| | - Matthew Gormley
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Sandler-Moore Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Steven C Hall
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Sandler-Moore Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - A S M Tarik Hasan
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Aneeta Hotwani
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Mohamed Hamid Juma
- Public Health Laboratory Ivo de Carneri, Wawi, Chake, Pemba, Zanzibar, Tanzania
| | - Margaret P Kasaro
- UNC Global Projects - Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC; Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Zambia School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Javairia Khalid
- Biorepository and Omics Research Group, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Pallavi Kshetrapal
- Maternal and Child Health, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Michael T McMaster
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Usma Mehmood
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Imran Nisar
- Biorepository and Omics Research Group, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Jesmin Pervin
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sayedur Rahman
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Projahnmo Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rubhana Raqib
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ali San
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Protim Sarker
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sami T Tuomivaara
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Sandler-Moore Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Ge Zhang
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH; Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Shaki Aktar
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Abdullah H Baqui
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Fyezah Jehan
- Biorepository and Omics Research Group, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Sunil Sazawal
- Center for Public Health Kinetics, Vinoba Puri, Lajpatnagar II, New Delhi, India
| | - Jeffrey S A Stringer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Susan J Fisher
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Sandler-Moore Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
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Mead EC, Wang CA, Phung J, Fu JY, Williams SM, Merialdi M, Jacobsson B, Lye S, Menon R, Pennell CE. The Role of Genetics in Preterm Birth. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:3410-3427. [PMID: 37450251 PMCID: PMC10692032 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01287-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB), defined as the birth of a child before 37 completed weeks gestation, affects approximately 11% of live births and is the leading cause of death in children under 5 years. PTB is a complex disease with multiple risk factors including genetic variation. Much research has aimed to establish the biological mechanisms underlying PTB often through identification of genetic markers for PTB risk. The objective of this review is to present a comprehensive and updated summary of the published data relating to the field of PTB genetics. A literature search in PubMed was conducted and English studies related to PTB genetics were included. Genetic studies have identified genes within inflammatory, immunological, tissue remodeling, endocrine, metabolic, and vascular pathways that may be involved in PTB. However, a substantial proportion of published data have been largely inconclusive and multiple studies had limited power to detect associations. On the contrary, a few large hypothesis-free approaches have identified and replicated multiple novel variants associated with PTB in different cohorts. Overall, attempts to predict PTB using single "-omics" datasets including genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic biomarkers have been mostly unsuccessful and have failed to translate to the clinical setting. Integration of data from multiple "-omics" datasets has yielded the most promising results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyse C Mead
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Carol A Wang
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Jason Phung
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia
- Department of Maternity and Gynaecology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Joanna Yx Fu
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Scott M Williams
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Mario Merialdi
- Maternal Newborn Health Innovations, Geneva, PBC, Switzerland
| | - Bo Jacobsson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Institute of Clinical Science, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Domain of Health Data and Digitalization, Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stephen Lye
- Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ramkumar Menon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Basic Science and Translational Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Craig E Pennell
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia.
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia.
- Department of Maternity and Gynaecology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia.
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Sobhani NC, Mernoff R, Abraha M, Okorie CN, Marquez-Magana L, Gaw SL, Robinson JF. Integrated analysis of transcriptomic datasets to identify placental biomarkers of spontaneous preterm birth. Placenta 2022; 122:66-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2022.03.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Li C, Cao M, Zhou X. Role of epigenetics in parturition and preterm birth. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:851-873. [PMID: 34939297 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Preterm birth occurs worldwide and is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and economic cost. Although several risk factors associated with parturition and preterm birth have been identified, mechanisms underlying this syndrome remain unclear, thereby limiting the implementation of interventions for prevention and management. Known triggers of preterm birth include conditions related to inflammatory and immunological pathways, as well as genetics and maternal history. Importantly, epigenetics, which is the study of heritable phenotypic changes that occur without alterations in the DNA sequence, may play a role in linking social and environmental risk factors for preterm birth. Epigenetic approaches to the study of preterm birth, including analyses of the effects of microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, DNA methylation, and histone modification, have contributed to an improved understanding of the molecular bases of both term and preterm birth. Additionally, epigenetic modifications have been linked to factors already associated with preterm birth, including obesity and smoking. The prevention and management of preterm birth remains a challenge worldwide. Although epigenetic analysis provides valuable insights into the causes and risk factors associated with this syndrome, further studies are necessary to determine whether epigenetic approaches can be used routinely for the diagnosis, prevention, and management of preterm birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunjin Li
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130062, China
| | - Maosheng Cao
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130062, China
| | - Xu Zhou
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130062, China
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Stubert J, Gründler K, Gerber B, Richter DU, Dieterich M. Prediction of Spontaneous Preterm Birth in At-risk Women Using Thrombospondin 1 from Cervicovaginal Fluid: A Prospective Observational Study. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd 2021; 81:1055-1064. [PMID: 34531612 PMCID: PMC8437583 DOI: 10.1055/a-1486-7148] [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: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction
Thrombospondin 1, desmoplakin and stratifin are putative biomarkers for the prediction of preterm birth. This study aimed to validate the predictive capability of these biomarkers in patients at risk of preterm birth.
Materials and Methods
We included 109 women with symptoms of threatened spontaneous preterm birth between weeks 20 0/7 and 31 6/7 of gestation. Inclusion criteria were uterine contractions, cervical length of less than 25 mm, or a personal history of spontaneous preterm birth. Multiple gestations were also included. Samples of cervicovaginal fluid were taken before performing a digital examination and transvaginal ultrasound. Levels of cervicovaginal thrombospondin 1, desmoplakin and stratifin were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The primary endpoint was spontaneous preterm birth before 34 + 0 weeks of gestation.
Results
Sixteen women (14.7%) delivered before 34 + 0 weeks. Median levels of thrombospondin 1 were higher in samples where birth occurred before 34 weeks vs. ≥ 34 weeks of gestation (4904 vs. 469 pg/mL, p < 0.001). Receiver operator characteristics analysis resulted in an area under the curve of 0.86 (p < 0.0001). At an optimal cut-off value of 2163 pg/mL, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 0.94, 0.77, 0.42 and 0.99, respectively, with an adjusted odds ratio of 32.9 (95% CI: 3.1 – 345, p = 0.004). Multiple gestation, cervical length, and preterm labor had no impact on the results. Survival analysis revealed a predictive period of more than eight weeks. Levels of desmoplakin and stratifin did not differ between groups.
Conclusion
Thrombospondin 1 allowed long-term risk estimation of spontaneous preterm birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Stubert
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Kathleen Gründler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, HELIOS Hospital Schwerin, Schwerin, Germany
| | - Bernd Gerber
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Dagmar-Ulrike Richter
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Max Dieterich
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
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Bartho LA, O'Callaghan JL, Fisher JJ, Cuffe JSM, Kaitu'u-Lino TJ, Hannan NJ, Clifton VL, Perkins AV. Analysis of mitochondrial regulatory transcripts in publicly available datasets with validation in placentae from pre-term, post-term and fetal growth restriction pregnancies. Placenta 2021; 112:162-171. [PMID: 34364121 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2021.07.303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The human placenta has a defined lifespan and placental aging is a key feature as pregnancy progresses. Placental aging and mitochondrial dysfunction are known to play a key role in pregnancy pathophysiology. Premature aging of the placenta has also been linked with placental dysfunction resulting in poor fetal development and premature birth. METHODS The expression of key mitochondrial-related genes were analysed in a series of publicly available databases then expression changes were validated in placental samples collected from term, pre-term, post-term pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR). Gene and protein expression levels of MFN1, MFN2, TFAM, TOMM20, OPA3 and SIRT4 were measured in placental tissues via qPCR and western blotting. RESULTS Initial analysis found that key mitochondrial transcripts related to biogenesis, bioenergetics and mitophagy clustered by pregnancy trimester. A refined list of 13 mitochondrial-related genes were investigated in additional external datasets of pregnancy complications. In the new cohort, protein expression of MFN1 was decreased in FGR and MFN2 is decreased in post-term placenta. Analysis of placental tissues revealed that TOMM20 gene and protein expression was altered in FGR and post-term placenta. DISCUSSION MFN1 and MFN2 play a major role in mitochondrial dynamics, and alterations in these markers have been highlighted in early unexplained miscarriage. TOMM20 is an importer protein that plays a major role in mitophagy and changes have also been identified in age-related diseases. Significant changes in MFN1, MFN2 and TOMM20 indicate that mitochondrial regulators play a critical role in placental aging and placental pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy A Bartho
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jessica L O'Callaghan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Joshua J Fisher
- Hunter Medical Research Institute and School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - James S M Cuffe
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tu'uhevaha J Kaitu'u-Lino
- Translational Obstetrics Group, Dept of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University of Melbourne, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Natalie J Hannan
- Translational Obstetrics Group, Dept of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University of Melbourne, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Vicki L Clifton
- Pregnancy and Development Group, Mater Research, Translational Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Anthony V Perkins
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, Queensland, Australia.
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Ansari A, Bose S, You Y, Park S, Kim Y. Molecular Mechanism of Microbiota Metabolites in Preterm Birth: Pathological and Therapeutic Insights. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8145. [PMID: 34360908 PMCID: PMC8347546 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB) refers to the birth of infants before 37 weeks of gestation and is a challenging issue worldwide. Evidence reveals that PTB is a multifactorial dysregulation mediated by a complex molecular mechanism. Thus, a better understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms underlying PTB is a prerequisite to explore effective therapeutic approaches. During early pregnancy, various physiological and metabolic changes occur as a result of endocrine and immune metabolism. The microbiota controls the physiological and metabolic mechanism of the host homeostasis, and dysbiosis of maternal microbial homeostasis dysregulates the mechanistic of fetal developmental processes and directly affects the birth outcome. Accumulating evidence indicates that metabolic dysregulation in the maternal or fetal membranes stimulates the inflammatory cytokines, which may positively progress the PTB. Although labour is regarded as an inflammatory process, it is still unclear how microbial dysbiosis could regulate the molecular mechanism of PTB. In this review based on recent research, we focused on both the pathological and therapeutic contribution of microbiota-generated metabolites to PTB and the possible molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- AbuZar Ansari
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital, Seoul 07985, Korea; (A.A.); (Y.Y.); (S.P.)
| | - Shambhunath Bose
- Department of Bioscience, Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence, Navanihal, Okali Post, Kamalapur, Kalaburagi, Karnataka 585313, India;
| | - Youngah You
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital, Seoul 07985, Korea; (A.A.); (Y.Y.); (S.P.)
| | - Sunwha Park
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital, Seoul 07985, Korea; (A.A.); (Y.Y.); (S.P.)
| | - Youngju Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital, Seoul 07985, Korea; (A.A.); (Y.Y.); (S.P.)
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10
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Yong HEJ, Chan SY. Current approaches and developments in transcript profiling of the human placenta. Hum Reprod Update 2021; 26:799-840. [PMID: 33043357 PMCID: PMC7600289 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmaa028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The placenta is the active interface between mother and foetus, bearing the molecular marks of rapid development and exposures in utero. The placenta is routinely discarded at delivery, providing a valuable resource to explore maternal-offspring health and disease in pregnancy. Genome-wide profiling of the human placental transcriptome provides an unbiased approach to study normal maternal–placental–foetal physiology and pathologies. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE To date, many studies have examined the human placental transcriptome, but often within a narrow focus. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of human placental transcriptome studies, encompassing those from the cellular to tissue levels and contextualize current findings from a broader perspective. We have consolidated studies into overarching themes, summarized key research findings and addressed important considerations in study design, as a means to promote wider data sharing and support larger meta-analysis of already available data and greater collaboration between researchers in order to fully capitalize on the potential of transcript profiling in future studies. SEARCH METHODS The PubMed database, National Center for Biotechnology Information and European Bioinformatics Institute dataset repositories were searched, to identify all relevant human studies using ‘placenta’, ‘decidua’, ‘trophoblast’, ‘transcriptome’, ‘microarray’ and ‘RNA sequencing’ as search terms until May 2019. Additional studies were found from bibliographies of identified studies. OUTCOMES The 179 identified studies were classifiable into four broad themes: healthy placental development, pregnancy complications, exposures during pregnancy and in vitro placental cultures. The median sample size was 13 (interquartile range 8–29). Transcriptome studies prior to 2015 were predominantly performed using microarrays, while RNA sequencing became the preferred choice in more recent studies. Development of fluidics technology, combined with RNA sequencing, has enabled transcript profiles to be generated of single cells throughout pregnancy, in contrast to previous studies relying on isolated cells. There are several key study aspects, such as sample selection criteria, sample processing and data analysis methods that may represent pitfalls and limitations, which need to be carefully considered as they influence interpretation of findings and conclusions. Furthermore, several areas of growing importance, such as maternal mental health and maternal obesity are understudied and the profiling of placentas from these conditions should be prioritized. WIDER IMPLICATIONS Integrative analysis of placental transcriptomics with other ‘omics’ (methylome, proteome and metabolome) and linkage with future outcomes from longitudinal studies is crucial in enhancing knowledge of healthy placental development and function, and in enabling the underlying causal mechanisms of pregnancy complications to be identified. Such understanding could help in predicting risk of future adversity and in designing interventions that can improve the health outcomes of both mothers and their offspring. Wider collaboration and sharing of placental transcriptome data, overcoming the challenges in obtaining sufficient numbers of quality samples with well-defined clinical characteristics, and dedication of resources to understudied areas of pregnancy will undoubtedly help drive the field forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E J Yong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shiao-Yng Chan
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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11
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Integrative analysis of transcriptomic data for identification of T-cell activation-related mRNA signatures indicative of preterm birth. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2392. [PMID: 33504832 PMCID: PMC7841165 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81834-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB), defined as birth at less than 37 weeks of gestation, is a major determinant of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Early diagnosis of PTB risk followed by protective interventions are essential to reduce adverse neonatal outcomes. However, due to the redundant nature of the clinical conditions with other diseases, PTB-associated clinical parameters are poor predictors of PTB. To identify molecular signatures predictive of PTB with high accuracy, we performed mRNA sequencing analysis of PTB patients and full-term birth (FTB) controls in Korean population and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as well as cellular pathways represented by the DEGs between PTB and FTB. By integrating the gene expression profiles of different ethnic groups from previous studies, we identified the core T-cell activation pathway associated with PTB, which was shared among all previous datasets, and selected three representative DEGs (CYLD, TFRC, and RIPK2) from the core pathway as mRNA signatures predictive of PTB. We confirmed the dysregulation of the candidate predictors and the core T-cell activation pathway in an independent cohort. Our results suggest that CYLD, TFRC, and RIPK2 are potentially reliable predictors for PTB.
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12
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Jacobo-Baca G, Salazar-Ybarra RA, Torres-de-la-Cruz V, Guzmán-López S, Elizondo-Omaña RE, Guzmán-López A, Vázquez-Barragán MÁ, Martínez-de-Villarreal LE. Proteomic profile of preeclampsia in the first trimester of pregnancy. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2020; 35:3446-3452. [PMID: 32957816 DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2020.1820980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Preeclampsia (PE) is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Detection of patients at risk before the clinical onset of PE is a priority. Proteomics have become a valuable tool for the discovery of new biomarkers; however, the understanding of the underlying mechanism is necessary. The aim of the study was to determine differences between proteomic serum profiles of PE and normotensive pregnancies using quantitative and qualitative approaches. STUDY DESIGN Serum samples from pregnant women were taken at 10-12 weeks of gestation with follow-up to determine PE development. Samples were analyzed using nano 2-D liquid chromatography UPLC and qTOF-MS/MS. RESULTS A total of 136 women were recruited, of which eight (5.9%) developed PE, and eight normotensive were randomly selected as a control group for comparison. A different profile was obtained between groups. Nine proteins showed quantitative differences with fold-change over 1.5: PRRC2C (217.02), HEATR5A (179.46), ATP6 (162.38), PRRC2B (83.09), RBM25 (5.36), NUP205 (3.38), HLA-I (2.27), ZC3H13 (2.15), and SREK1 (1.66); and two under 0.66: Importin-4 (0.55) and Cytochrome b (0.26). Using bilateral Fisher's exact test for the qualitative approach, LRRK1 had statistical significance (p = .044), while PRRC2B (p = .121), PRRC2C (p = .134), and NUP205 (p = .134) showed a tendency to be present in PE. CONCLUSION The found proteins have plausibility with the early pathophysiological events that have been associated with this pathology. Further studies should be performed to confirm these findings and elucidate their specific roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Jacobo-Baca
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico
| | | | - Víctor Torres-de-la-Cruz
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico
| | - Santos Guzmán-López
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico
| | | | - Abel Guzmán-López
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico
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13
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Radan AP, Aleksandra Polowy J, Heverhagen A, Simillion C, Baumann M, Raio L, Schleussner E, Mueller M, Surbek D. Cervico-vaginal placental α-macroglobulin-1 combined with cervical length for the prediction of preterm birth in women with threatened preterm labor. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2019; 99:357-363. [PMID: 31587255 DOI: 10.1111/aogs.13744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need to accurately predict imminent delivery to enable necessary interventions such as tocolytic, glucocorticoid, and magnesium sulfate administration. We aimed to evaluate placental α-macroglobulin-1 as a new diagnostic marker in the prediction of preterm birth. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed a prospective observational trial in women with intact membranes between 24+0 and 36+6 weeks of gestation. We included both women with and without threatened preterm labor symptoms. We evaluated the test performance of placental α-macroglobulin-1 measurements in cervicovaginal fluid regarding three different presentation-to-delivery intervals: ≤2, ≤7, ≤14 days. In addition, we calculated placental α-macroglobulin-1 performance in combination with other prognostic factors such as ultrasonographic cervical length measurements. RESULTS We included 126 women in the study. We detected high specificity (97%-98%) and negative predictive value (89%-97%) for placental α-macroglobulin-1 at all time intervals. We assessed placental α-macroglobulin-1 in combination with cervical length measurements (≤15 mm) in the sub-group of women presenting with threatened preterm labor symptoms (n = 63) and detected high positive predictive values (100%) for 7- and 14-day presentation-to-delivery intervals. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides evidence that placental α-macroglobulin-1 testing in cervicovaginal fluid, in combination with cervical length measurements, accurately predicts preterm birth in women with preterm labor symptoms. This novel test combination may be used clinically to triage women presenting with threatened preterm labor, avoiding overtreatment and unnecessary hospitalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anda-Petronela Radan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Justyna Aleksandra Polowy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anneke Heverhagen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cedric Simillion
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marc Baumann
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luigi Raio
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Martin Mueller
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Daniel Surbek
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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14
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Paquette AG, Shynlova O, Wu X, Kibschull M, Wang K, Price ND, Lye SJ. MicroRNA-transcriptome networks in whole blood and monocytes of women undergoing preterm labour. J Cell Mol Med 2019; 23:6835-6845. [PMID: 31342622 PMCID: PMC6787570 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.14567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth is attributed to neonatal morbidity as well as cognitive and physiological challenges. We have previously identified significant differences in mRNA expression in whole blood and monocytes, as well as differences in miRNA concentration in blood plasma, extracellular vesicles (EV) and EV-depleted plasma in women undergoing spontaneous preterm labour (sPTL). The goal of this analysis was to identify differences in miRNA expression within whole blood (WB) and peripheral monocytes (PM) from the same population of women undergoing sPTL compared with non-labouring controls matched by gestational age. We performed single-end small RNA sequencing in whole blood and peripheral monocytes from women undergoing sPTL with active contractions (24-34 weeks of gestation, N = 15) matched for gestational age to healthy pregnant non-labouring controls (>37 weeks gestation, N = 30) who later delivered at term as a part of the Ontario Birth Study (Toronto, Ontario CA). We identified significant differences in expression of 16 miRNAs in PMs and nine miRNAs in WB in women undergoing sPTL. In PMs, these miRNAs were predicted targets of 541 genes, including 28 previously associated with sPTL. In WB, miRNAs were predicted to target 303 genes, including nine previously associated with sPTL. These genes were involved in a variety of immune pathways, including interleukin-2 signalling. This study is the first to identify changes in miRNA expression in WB and PMs of women undergoing sPTL. Our results shed light on potential mechanisms by which miRNAs may play a role in mediating systemic inflammatory response in pregnant women that deliver prematurely.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oksana Shynlova
- Program in Development and Fetal HealthLunenfeld‐Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health SystemTorontoONCanada
| | | | - Mark Kibschull
- Program in Development and Fetal HealthLunenfeld‐Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health SystemTorontoONCanada
| | - Kai Wang
- Institute for Systems BiologySeattleWAUSA
| | | | - Stephen J. Lye
- Program in Development and Fetal HealthLunenfeld‐Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health SystemTorontoONCanada
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15
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Schuster J, Uzun A, Stablia J, Schorl C, Mori M, Padbury JF. Effect of prematurity on genome wide methylation in the placenta. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2019; 20:116. [PMID: 31253109 PMCID: PMC6599230 DOI: 10.1186/s12881-019-0835-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background Preterm birth is a significant clinical problem and an enormous burden on society, affecting one in eight pregnant women and their newborns. Despite decades of research, the molecular mechanism underlying its pathogenesis remains unclear. Many studies have shown that preterm birth is associated with health risks across the later life course. The “fetal origins” hypothesis postulates that adverse intrauterine exposures are associated with later disease susceptibility. Our recent studies have focused on the placental epigenome at term. We extended these studies to genome-wide placental DNA methylation across a wide range of gestational ages. We applied methylation dependent immunoprecipitation/DNA sequencing (MeDIP-seq) to 9 placentas with gestational age from 25 weeks to term to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Results Enrichment analysis revealed 427 DMRs with nominally significant differences in methylation between preterm and term placentas (p < 0.01) and 21 statistically significant DMRs after multiple comparison correction (FDR p < 0.05), of which 62% were hypo-methylated in preterm placentas vs term placentas. The majority of DMRs were in distal intergenic regions and introns. Significantly enriched pathways identified by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) included Citrulline-Nitric Oxide Cycle and Fcy Receptor Mediated Phagocytosis in macrophages. The DMR gene set overlapped placental gene expression data, genes and pathways associated evolutionarily with preterm birth. Conclusion These studies form the basis for future studies on the epigenetics of preterm birth, “fetal programming” and the impact of environment exposures on this important clinical challenge. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12881-019-0835-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Schuster
- Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, 02905, USA
| | - Alper Uzun
- Pediatrics, Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02906, USA
| | - Joan Stablia
- Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, 02905, USA
| | - Christoph Schorl
- Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02906, USA
| | - Mari Mori
- Pediatrics and Genetics, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, 02905, USA
| | - James F Padbury
- Pediatrics, Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02906, USA. .,, Providence, USA.
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16
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Paquette AG, Brockway HM, Price ND, Muglia LJ. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of human placentae at term and preterm delivery. Biol Reprod 2019; 98:89-101. [PMID: 29228154 PMCID: PMC5803773 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/iox163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth affects 1 out of every 10 infants in the United States, resulting in substantial neonatal morbidity and mortality. Currently, there are few predictive markers and few treatment options to prevent preterm birth. A healthy, functioning placenta is essential to positive pregnancy outcomes. Previous studies have suggested that placental pathology may play a role in preterm birth etiology. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that preterm placentae may exhibit unique transcriptomic signatures compared to term samples reflective of their abnormal biology leading to this adverse outcome. We aggregated publicly available placental villous microarray data to generate a preterm and term sample dataset (n = 133, 55 preterm placentae and 78 normal term placentae). We identified differentially expressed genes using the linear regression for microarray (LIMMA) package and identified perturbations in known biological networks using Differential Rank Conservation (DIRAC). We identified 129 significantly differentially expressed genes between term and preterm placenta with 96 genes upregulated and 33 genes downregulated (P-value <0.05). Significant changes in gene expression in molecular networks related to Tumor Protein 53 and phosphatidylinositol signaling were identified using DIRAC. We have aggregated a uniformly normalized transcriptomic dataset and have identified novel and established genes and pathways associated with developmental regulation of the placenta and potential preterm birth pathology. These analyses provide a community resource to integrate with other high-dimensional datasets for additional insights in normal placental development and its disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather M Brockway
- Division of Human Genetics, Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth, Cincinnati Children's, Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Louis J Muglia
- Division of Human Genetics, Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth, Cincinnati Children's, Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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17
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Pereyra S, Sosa C, Bertoni B, Sapiro R. Transcriptomic analysis of fetal membranes reveals pathways involved in preterm birth. BMC Med Genomics 2019; 12:53. [PMID: 30935390 PMCID: PMC6444860 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-019-0498-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Preterm birth (PTB), defined as infant delivery before 37 weeks of completed gestation, results from the interaction of both genetic and environmental components and constitutes a complex multifactorial syndrome. Transcriptome analysis of PTB has proven challenging because of the multiple causes of PTB and the numerous maternal and fetal gestational tissues that must interact to facilitate parturition. The transcriptome of the chorioamnion membranes at the site of rupture in PTB and term fetuses may reflect the molecular pathways of preterm labor. Methods In this work, chorioamnion membranes from severe preterm and term fetuses were analyzed using RNA sequencing. Functional annotations and pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes were performed with the GAGE and GOSeq packages. A subset of differentially expressed genes in PTB was validated in a larger cohort using qRT-PCR and by comparing our results with genes and pathways previously reported in the literature. Results A total of 270 genes were differentially expressed (DE): 252 were upregulated and 18 were down-regulated in severe preterm births relative to term births. Inflammatory and immunological pathways were upregulated in PTB. Both types of pathways were previously suggested to lead to PTB. Pathways that were not previously reported in PTB, such as the hemopoietic pathway, appeared upregulated in preterm membranes. A group of 18 downregulated genes discriminated between term and severe preterm cases. These genes potentially characterize a severe preterm transcriptome pattern and therefore are candidate genes for understanding the syndrome. Some of the downregulated genes are involved in the nervous system, morphogenesis (WNT1, DLX5, PAPPA2) and ion channel complexes (KCNJ16, KCNB1), making them good candidates as biomarkers of PTB. Conclusions The identification of this DE gene pattern will help with the development of a multi-gene disease classifier. These markers were generated in an admixed South American population in which PTB has a high incidence. Since the genetic background may differentially impact different populations, it is necessary to include populations such as those from South America and Africa, which are usually excluded from high-throughput approaches. These classifiers should be compared to those in other populations to obtain a global landscape of PTB. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12920-019-0498-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Pereyra
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av. General Flores 2125, C.P, 11800, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Claudio Sosa
- Clínica Ginecotologica "C", Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Bvar. General Artigas 1590, C:P.11600, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Bernardo Bertoni
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av. General Flores 2125, C.P, 11800, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Rossana Sapiro
- Departamento de Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av. General Flores 2125, C.P, 11800, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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18
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Eidem HR, Steenwyk JL, Wisecaver JH, Capra JA, Abbot P, Rokas A. integRATE: a desirability-based data integration framework for the prioritization of candidate genes across heterogeneous omics and its application to preterm birth. BMC Med Genomics 2018; 11:107. [PMID: 30453955 PMCID: PMC6245874 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-018-0426-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The integration of high-quality, genome-wide analyses offers a robust approach to elucidating genetic factors involved in complex human diseases. Even though several methods exist to integrate heterogeneous omics data, most biologists still manually select candidate genes by examining the intersection of lists of candidates stemming from analyses of different types of omics data that have been generated by imposing hard (strict) thresholds on quantitative variables, such as P-values and fold changes, increasing the chance of missing potentially important candidates. METHODS To better facilitate the unbiased integration of heterogeneous omics data collected from diverse platforms and samples, we propose a desirability function framework for identifying candidate genes with strong evidence across data types as targets for follow-up functional analysis. Our approach is targeted towards disease systems with sparse, heterogeneous omics data, so we tested it on one such pathology: spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). RESULTS We developed the software integRATE, which uses desirability functions to rank genes both within and across studies, identifying well-supported candidate genes according to the cumulative weight of biological evidence rather than based on imposition of hard thresholds of key variables. Integrating 10 sPTB omics studies identified both genes in pathways previously suspected to be involved in sPTB as well as novel genes never before linked to this syndrome. integRATE is available as an R package on GitHub ( https://github.com/haleyeidem/integRATE ). CONCLUSIONS Desirability-based data integration is a solution most applicable in biological research areas where omics data is especially heterogeneous and sparse, allowing for the prioritization of candidate genes that can be used to inform more targeted downstream functional analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley R. Eidem
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Jacob L. Steenwyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Jennifer H. Wisecaver
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
| | - John A. Capra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Patrick Abbot
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
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19
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Konwar C, Price EM, Wang LQ, Wilson SL, Terry J, Robinson WP. DNA methylation profiling of acute chorioamnionitis-associated placentas and fetal membranes: insights into epigenetic variation in spontaneous preterm births. Epigenetics Chromatin 2018; 11:63. [PMID: 30373633 PMCID: PMC6205793 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-018-0234-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Placental inflammation, often presenting as acute chorioamnionitis (aCA), is commonly associated with preterm birth. Preterm birth can have both immediate and long-term adverse effects on the health of the baby. Developing biomarkers of inflammation in the placenta can help to understand its effects and potentially lead to new approaches for rapid prenatal diagnosis of aCA. We aimed to characterize epigenetic variation associated with aCA in placenta (chorionic villi) and fetal membranes (chorion and amnion) to better understand how aCA may impact processes that lead to preterm birth. This study lays the groundwork for development of novel biomarkers for aCA. METHODS Samples from 44 preterm placentas (chorionic villi) as well as matched chorion and amnion for 16 of these cases were collected for this study. These samples were profiled using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation850 BeadChip to measure DNA methylation (DNAm) at 866,895 CpGs across the genome. An additional 78 placental samples were utilized to independently validate the array findings by pyrosequencing. RESULTS Using a false discovery rate of < 0.15 and average group difference in DNAm of > 0.05, 66 differentially methylated (DM) CpG sites were identified between aCA cases and non-aCA cases in chorionic villi. For the majority of these 66 DM CpGs, the DNAm profile of the aCA cases as compared to the non-aCA cases trended in the direction of the blood cell DNAm. Interestingly, neutrophil-specific DNAm signatures, but not those associated with other immune cell types, were capable of separating aCA cases from the non-aCA cases. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that aCA-associated placentas showed altered DNAm signatures that were not observed in the absence of aCA. This DNAm profile is consistent with the activation of the innate immune response in the placenta and/or reflect increase in neutrophils as a response to inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaini Konwar
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
| | - E. Magda Price
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
| | - Li Qing Wang
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
| | - Samantha L. Wilson
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
| | - Jefferson Terry
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
- Department of Pathology, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
| | - Wendy P. Robinson
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
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20
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Vora B, Wang A, Kosti I, Huang H, Paranjpe I, Woodruff TJ, MacKenzie T, Sirota M. Meta-Analysis of Maternal and Fetal Transcriptomic Data Elucidates the Role of Adaptive and Innate Immunity in Preterm Birth. Front Immunol 2018; 9:993. [PMID: 29867970 PMCID: PMC5954243 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of newborn deaths around the world. Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) accounts for two-thirds of all PTBs; however, there remains an unmet need of detecting and preventing sPTB. Although the dysregulation of the immune system has been implicated in various studies, small sizes and irreproducibility of results have limited identification of its role. Here, we present a cross-study meta-analysis to evaluate genome-wide differential gene expression signals in sPTB. A comprehensive search of the NIH genomic database for studies related to sPTB with maternal whole blood samples resulted in data from three separate studies consisting of 339 samples. After aggregating and normalizing these transcriptomic datasets and performing a meta-analysis, we identified 210 genes that were differentially expressed in sPTB relative to term birth. These genes were enriched in immune-related pathways, showing upregulation of innate immunity and downregulation of adaptive immunity in women who delivered preterm. An additional analysis found several of these differentially expressed at mid-gestation, suggesting their potential to be clinically relevant biomarkers. Furthermore, a complementary analysis identified 473 genes differentially expressed in preterm cord blood samples. However, these genes demonstrated downregulation of the innate immune system, a stark contrast to findings using maternal blood samples. These immune-related findings were further confirmed by cell deconvolution as well as upstream transcription and cytokine regulation analyses. Overall, this study identified a strong immune signature related to sPTB as well as several potential biomarkers that could be translated to clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Vora
- Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Aolin Wang
- Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Idit Kosti
- Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Hongtai Huang
- Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Ishan Paranjpe
- Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Tracey J Woodruff
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Tippi MacKenzie
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Center for Maternal-Fetal Precision Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Marina Sirota
- Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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21
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Bukowski R, Sadovsky Y, Goodarzi H, Zhang H, Biggio JR, Varner M, Parry S, Xiao F, Esplin SM, Andrews W, Saade GR, Ilekis JV, Reddy UM, Baldwin DA. Onset of human preterm and term birth is related to unique inflammatory transcriptome profiles at the maternal fetal interface. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3685. [PMID: 28879060 PMCID: PMC5582610 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Preterm birth is a main determinant of neonatal mortality and morbidity and a major contributor to the overall mortality and burden of disease. However, research of the preterm birth is hindered by the imprecise definition of the clinical phenotype and complexity of the molecular phenotype due to multiple pregnancy tissue types and molecular processes that may contribute to the preterm birth. Here we comprehensively evaluate the mRNA transcriptome that characterizes preterm and term labor in tissues comprising the pregnancy using precisely phenotyped samples. The four complementary phenotypes together provide comprehensive insight into preterm and term parturition. Methods Samples of maternal blood, chorion, amnion, placenta, decidua, fetal blood, and myometrium from the uterine fundus and lower segment (n = 183) were obtained during cesarean delivery from women with four complementary phenotypes: delivering preterm with (PL) and without labor (PNL), term with (TL) and without labor (TNL). Enrolled were 35 pregnant women with four precisely and prospectively defined phenotypes: PL (n = 8), PNL (n = 10), TL (n = 7) and TNL (n = 10). Gene expression data were analyzed using shrunken centroid analysis to identify a minimal set of genes that uniquely characterizes each of the four phenotypes. Expression profiles of 73 genes and non-coding RNA sequences uniquely identified each of the four phenotypes. The shrunken centroid analysis and 10 times 10-fold cross-validation was also used to minimize false positive finings and overfitting. Identified were the pathways and molecular processes associated with and the cis-regulatory elements in gene’s 5′ promoter or 3′-UTR regions of the set of genes which expression uniquely characterized the four phenotypes. Results The largest differences in gene expression among the four groups occurred at maternal fetal interface in decidua, chorion and amnion. The gene expression profiles showed suppression of chemokines expression in TNL, withdrawal of this suppression in TL, activation of multiple pathways of inflammation in PL, and an immune rejection profile in PNL. The genes constituting expression signatures showed over-representation of three putative regulatory elements in their 5′and 3′ UTR regions. Conclusions The results suggest that pregnancy is maintained by downregulation of chemokines at the maternal-fetal interface. Withdrawal of this downregulation results in the term birth and its overriding by the activation of multiple pathways of the immune system in the preterm birth. Complications of the pregnancy associated with impairment of placental function, which necessitated premature delivery of the fetus in the absence of labor, show gene expression patterns associated with immune rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radek Bukowski
- Dell Medical School, Department of Women's Health, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Yoel Sadovsky
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Hani Goodarzi
- Department of Biophysics & Biochemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Heping Zhang
- School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Joseph R Biggio
- School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Michael Varner
- School of Medicine, Intermountain Healthcare, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Samuel Parry
- School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Feifei Xiao
- Arnold School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America
| | - Sean M Esplin
- School of Medicine, Intermountain Healthcare, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - William Andrews
- School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - George R Saade
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States of America
| | - John V Ilekis
- Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Uma M Reddy
- Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
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22
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Chim SSC, Wong KKW, Chung CYL, Lam SKW, Kwok JSL, Lai CY, Cheng YKY, Hui ASY, Meng M, Chan OK, Tsui SKW, Lee KY, Chan TF, Leung TY. Systematic Selection of Reference Genes for the Normalization of Circulating RNA Transcripts in Pregnant Women Based on RNA-Seq Data. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:E1709. [PMID: 28777335 PMCID: PMC5578099 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18081709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA transcripts circulating in peripheral blood represent an important source of non-invasive biomarkers. To accurately quantify the levels of circulating transcripts, one needs to normalize the data with internal control reference genes, which are detected at relatively constant levels across blood samples. A few reference gene candidates have to be selected from transcriptome data before the validation of their stable expression by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. However, there is a lack of transcriptome, let alone whole-transcriptome, data from maternal blood. To overcome this shortfall, we performed RNA-sequencing on blood samples from women presenting with preterm labor. The coefficient of variation (CV) of expression levels was calculated. Of 11,215 exons detected in the maternal blood whole-transcriptome, a panel of 395 genes, including PPP1R15B, EXOC8, ACTB, and TPT1, were identified to comprise exons with considerably less variable expression level (CV, 7.75-17.7%) than any GAPDH exon (minimum CV, 27.3%). Upon validation, the selected genes from this panel remained more stably expressed than GAPDH in maternal blood. This panel is over-represented with genes involved with the actin cytoskeleton, macromolecular complex, and integrin signaling. This groundwork provides a starting point for systematically selecting reference gene candidates for normalizing the levels of circulating RNA transcripts in maternal blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen S C Chim
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Karen K W Wong
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Claire Y L Chung
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Stephanie K W Lam
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Jamie S L Kwok
- Hong Kong Bioinformatics Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Chit-Ying Lai
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Yvonne K Y Cheng
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Annie S Y Hui
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Meng Meng
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Oi-Ka Chan
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Stephen K W Tsui
- Hong Kong Bioinformatics Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Keun-Young Lee
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul 07441, Korea.
| | - Ting-Fung Chan
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Tak-Yeung Leung
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
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23
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Manokhina I, Del Gobbo GF, Konwar C, Wilson SL, Robinson WP. Review: placental biomarkers for assessing fetal health. Hum Mol Genet 2017; 26:R237-R245. [DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddx210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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24
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Sehgal S, Bhatnagar S, Pallavi SK. Provocative ideas on human placental biology: A prerequisite for prevention and treatment of neonatal health challenges. Am J Reprod Immunol 2017; 77. [PMID: 28276106 DOI: 10.1111/aji.12656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A 2-day invite-only meeting on generating "Provocative Ideas on human placental research" was organized on 1-2 December 2015 at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad. This meeting was sponsored by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. The objectives of this meeting were the critical evaluation of placental physiology and its development. Special emphasis was placed on understanding the consequences and implications of placental development in sustenance of pregnancy and in pregnancy-associated complications such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm birth. This meeting brought together experienced as well as novice clinicians and biologists who have a keen interest in the field of placental biology, including development of new technologies and methods for evaluating the role of placenta in predicting pregnancy outcomes. The meeting primarily focused on (i) high-throughput "-omics" approaches, (ii) maternal nutrition and placental function, (iii) placental infection and inflammation, (iv) real-time evaluation of placental development: tools for placental research, and (v) epidemiologic relevance of placental-based research. Unanimous consensus emerged among the participants to carry out additional work focused on these areas. In this article, we summarize the talks and review the published literature on the above-mentioned niches. As a direct outcome of this meeting, a request for applications has been announced by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, for pursuing research in this vital but understudied domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpi Sehgal
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - Shinjini Bhatnagar
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
| | - S K Pallavi
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
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25
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Measuring circulating placental RNAs to non-invasively assess the placental transcriptome and to predict pregnancy complications. Prenat Diagn 2016; 36:997-1008. [DOI: 10.1002/pd.4934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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26
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Development and validation of a spontaneous preterm delivery predictor in asymptomatic women. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2016; 214:633.e1-633.e24. [PMID: 26874297 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm delivery remains the leading cause of perinatal mortality. Risk factors and biomarkers have traditionally failed to identify the majority of preterm deliveries. OBJECTIVE To develop and validate a mass spectrometry-based serum test to predict spontaneous preterm delivery in asymptomatic pregnant women. STUDY DESIGN A total of 5501 pregnant women were enrolled between 17(0/7) and 28(6/7) weeks gestational age in the prospective Proteomic Assessment of Preterm Risk study at 11 sites in the United States between 2011 and 2013. Maternal blood was collected at enrollment and outcomes collected following delivery. Maternal serum was processed by a proteomic workflow, and proteins were quantified by multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. The discovery and verification process identified 2 serum proteins, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 4 (IBP4) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), as predictors of spontaneous preterm delivery. We evaluated a predictor using the log ratio of the measures of IBP4 and SHBG (IBP4/SHBG) in a clinical validation study to classify spontaneous preterm delivery cases (<37(0/7) weeks gestational age) in a nested case-control cohort different from subjects used in discovery and verification. Strict blinding and independent statistical analyses were employed. RESULTS The predictor had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of 0.75 and sensitivity and specificity of 0.75 and 0.74, respectively. The IBP4/SHBG predictor at this sensitivity and specificity had an odds ratio of 5.04 for spontaneous preterm delivery. Accuracy of the IBP4/SHBG predictor increased using earlier case-vs-control gestational age cutoffs (eg, <35(0/7) vs ≥35(0/7) weeks gestational age). Importantly, higher-risk subjects defined by the IBP4/SHBG predictor score generally gave birth earlier than lower-risk subjects. CONCLUSION A serum-based molecular predictor identifies asymptomatic pregnant women at risk of spontaneous preterm delivery, which may provide utility in identifying women at risk at an early stage of pregnancy to allow for clinical intervention. This early detection would guide enhanced levels of care and accelerate development of clinical strategies to prevent preterm delivery.
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27
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Eidem HR, Rinker DC, Ackerman WE, Buhimschi IA, Buhimschi CS, Dunn-Fletcher C, Kallapur SG, Pavličev M, Muglia LJ, Abbot P, Rokas A. Comparing human and macaque placental transcriptomes to disentangle preterm birth pathology from gestational age effects. Placenta 2016; 41:74-82. [PMID: 27208410 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2016.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A major issue in the transcriptomic study of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in humans is the inability to collect healthy control tissue at the same gestational age (GA) to compare with pathologic preterm tissue. Thus, gene expression differences identified after the standard comparison of sPTB and term tissues necessarily reflect differences in both sPTB pathology and GA. One potential solution is to use GA-matched controls from a closely related species to tease apart genes that are dysregulated during sPTB from genes that are expressed differently as a result of GA effects. METHODS To disentangle genes whose expression levels are associated with sPTB pathology from those linked to GA, we compared RNA sequencing data from human preterm placentas, human term placentas, and rhesus macaque placentas at 80% completed gestation (serving as healthy non-human primate GA-matched controls). We first compared sPTB and term human placental transcriptomes to identify significantly differentially expressed genes. We then overlaid the results of the comparison between human sPTB and macaque placental transcriptomes to identify sPTB-specific candidates. Finally, we overlaid the results of the comparison between human term and macaque placental transcriptomes to identify GA-specific candidates. RESULTS Examination of relative expression for all human genes with macaque orthologs identified 267 candidate genes that were significantly differentially expressed between preterm and term human placentas. 29 genes were identified as sPTB-specific candidates and 37 as GA-specific candidates. Altogether, the 267 differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched for a variety of developmental, metabolic, reproductive, immune, and inflammatory functions. Although there were no notable differences between the functions of the 29 sPTB-specific and 37 GA-specific candidate genes, many of these candidates have been previously shown to be dysregulated in diverse pregnancy-associated pathologies. DISCUSSION By comparing human sPTB and term transcriptomes with GA-matched control transcriptomes from a closely related species, this study disentangled the confounding effects of sPTB pathology and GA, leading to the identification of 29 promising sPTB-specific candidate genes and 37 genes potentially related to GA effects. The apparent similarity in functions of the sPTB and GA candidates may suggest that the effects of sPTB and GA do not correspond to biologically distinct processes. Alternatively, it may reflect the poor state of knowledge of the transcriptional landscape underlying placental development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley R Eidem
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
| | - David C Rinker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA; Program in Human Genetics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
| | - William E Ackerman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Irina A Buhimschi
- Center for Perinatal Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Catalin S Buhimschi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Caitlin Dunn-Fletcher
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
| | - Suhas G Kallapur
- Center for Perinatal Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Mihaela Pavličev
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
| | - Louis J Muglia
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
| | - Patrick Abbot
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA; Program in Human Genetics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
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28
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Manokhina I, Wilson SL, Robinson WP. Noninvasive nucleic acid-based approaches to monitor placental health and predict pregnancy-related complications. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2015; 213:S197-206. [PMID: 26428499 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2015.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 07/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
During pregnancy, the placenta releases a variety of nucleic acids (including deoxyribonucleic acid, messenger ribonucleic acid, or microribonucleic acids) either as a result of cell turnover or as an active messaging system between the placenta and cells in the maternal body. The profile of released nucleic acids changes with the gestational age and has been associated with maternal and fetal parameters. It also can directly reflect pathological changes in the placenta. Nucleic acids may therefore provide a rich source of novel biomarkers for the prediction of pregnancy complications. However, their utility in the clinical setting depends, first, on overcoming some technical considerations in their quantification, and, second, on developing a better understanding of the factors that influence their function and abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Manokhina
- Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Samantha L Wilson
- Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Wendy P Robinson
- Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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29
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Eidem HR, Ackerman WE, McGary KL, Abbot P, Rokas A. Gestational tissue transcriptomics in term and preterm human pregnancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med Genomics 2015; 8:27. [PMID: 26044726 PMCID: PMC4456776 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-015-0099-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm birth (PTB), or birth before 37 weeks of gestation, is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide. PTB is a critical area of scientific study not only due to its worldwide toll on human lives and economies, but also due to our limited understanding of its pathogenesis and, therefore, its prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes the landscape of PTB transcriptomics research to further our understanding of the genes and pathways involved in PTB subtypes. METHODS We evaluated published genome-wide pregnancy studies across gestational tissues and pathologies, including those that focus on PTB, by performing a targeted PubMed MeSH search and systematically reviewing all relevant studies. RESULTS Our search yielded 2,361 studies on gestational tissues including placenta, decidua, myometrium, maternal blood, cervix, fetal membranes (chorion and amnion), umbilical cord, fetal blood, and basal plate. Selecting only those original research studies that measured transcription on a genome-wide scale and reported lists of expressed genetic elements identified 93 gene expression, 21 microRNA, and 20 methylation studies. Although 30 % of all PTB cases are due to medical indications, 76 % of the preterm studies focused on them. In contrast, only 18 % of the preterm studies focused on spontaneous onset of labor, which is responsible for 45 % of all PTB cases. Furthermore, only 23 of the 10,993 unique genetic elements reported to be transcriptionally active were recovered 10 or more times in these 134 studies. Meta-analysis of the 93 gene expression studies across 9 distinct gestational tissues and 29 clinical phenotypes showed limited overlap of genes identified as differentially expressed across studies. CONCLUSIONS Overall, profiles of differentially expressed genes were highly heterogeneous both between as well as within clinical subtypes and tissues as well as between studies of the same clinical subtype and tissue. These results suggest that large gaps still exist in the transcriptomic study of specific clinical subtypes as well in the generation of the transcriptional profile of well-studied clinical subtypes; understanding the complex landscape of prematurity will require large-scale, systematic genome-wide analyses of human gestational tissues on both understudied and well-studied subtypes alike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley R Eidem
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #35-1634, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
| | - William E Ackerman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
| | - Kriston L McGary
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #35-1634, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
| | - Patrick Abbot
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #35-1634, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #35-1634, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
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30
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Buckberry S, Bianco-Miotto T, Bent SJ, Dekker GA, Roberts CT. Integrative transcriptome meta-analysis reveals widespread sex-biased gene expression at the human fetal-maternal interface. Mol Hum Reprod 2014; 20:810-9. [PMID: 24867328 PMCID: PMC4106635 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gau035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Revised: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
As males and females share highly similar genomes, the regulation of many sexually dimorphic traits is constrained to occur through sex-biased gene regulation. There is strong evidence that human males and females differ in terms of growth and development in utero and that these divergent growth strategies appear to place males at increased risk when in sub-optimal conditions. Since the placenta is the interface of maternal-fetal exchange throughout pregnancy, these developmental differences are most likely orchestrated by differential placental function. To date, progress in this field has been hampered by a lack of genome-wide information on sex differences in placental gene expression. Therefore, our motivation in this study was to characterize sex-biased gene expression in the human placenta. We obtained gene expression data for >300 non-pathological placenta samples from 11 microarray datasets and applied mapping-based array probe re-annotation and inverse-variance meta-analysis methods which showed that >140 genes (false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05) are differentially expressed between male and female placentae. A majority of these genes (>60%) are autosomal, many of which are involved in high-level regulatory processes such as gene transcription, cell growth and proliferation and hormonal function. Of particular interest, we detected higher female expression from all seven genes in the LHB-CGB cluster, which includes genes involved in placental development, the maintenance of pregnancy and maternal immune tolerance of the conceptus. These results demonstrate that sex-biased gene expression in the normal human placenta occurs across the genome and includes genes that are central to growth, development and the maintenance of pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Buckberry
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Tina Bianco-Miotto
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia School of Agriculture Food & Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Stephen J Bent
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Gustaaf A Dekker
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia Lyell McEwin Hospital, Elizabeth Vale, SA 5112, Australia
| | - Claire T Roberts
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
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Tsui NBY, Jiang P, Wong YF, Leung TY, Chan KCA, Chiu RWK, Sun H, Lo YMD. Maternal Plasma RNA Sequencing for Genome-Wide Transcriptomic Profiling and Identification of Pregnancy-Associated Transcripts. Clin Chem 2014; 60:954-62. [DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2014.221648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Analysis of circulating RNA in the plasma of pregnant women has the potential to serve as a powerful tool for noninvasive prenatal testing and research. However, detection of circulating RNA in the plasma in an unbiased and high-throughput manner has been technically challenging. Therefore, only a limited number of circulating RNA species in maternal plasma have been validated as pregnancy- and placenta-specific biomarkers.
METHODS
We explored the use of massively parallel sequencing for plasma transcriptome profiling in first-, second-, and third-trimester pregnant women. Genotyping was performed for amniotic fluid, placental tissues, and maternal blood cells, with exome-enriched sequencing.
RESULTS
In the early pregnancy group comprising 1 first- and 1 second-trimester pregnancy cases, the fetal contribution to the RNA pool in maternal plasma was 3.70%. The relative proportion of fetal contribution was increased to 11.28% in the late pregnancy group comprising 2 third-trimester pregnancy cases. The placental biallelic expression pattern of PAPPA (pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, pappalysin 1), a known pregnancy-specific gene, and the monoallelic expression pattern of H19 [H19, imprinted maternally expressed transcript (non-protein coding)], an imprinted maternally expressed gene, were also detected in the maternal plasma. Furthermore, by direct examination of the maternal plasma transcriptomic profiles before and after delivery, we identified a panel of pregnancy-associated genes.
CONCLUSIONS
Plasma RNA sequencing provides a holistic view of the maternal plasma transcriptomic repertoire. This technology is potentially valuable for using circulating plasma nucleic acids for prenatal testing and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy B Y Tsui
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
- Department of Chemical Pathology, and
| | - Peiyong Jiang
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
- Department of Chemical Pathology, and
| | - Yuen Fei Wong
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
- Department of Chemical Pathology, and
| | - Tak Y Leung
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - K C Allen Chan
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
- Department of Chemical Pathology, and
| | - Rossa W K Chiu
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
- Department of Chemical Pathology, and
| | - Hao Sun
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
- Department of Chemical Pathology, and
| | - Y M Dennis Lo
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
- Department of Chemical Pathology, and
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Heng YJ, Pennell CE, Chua HN, Perkins JE, Lye SJ. Whole blood gene expression profile associated with spontaneous preterm birth in women with threatened preterm labor. PLoS One 2014; 9:e96901. [PMID: 24828675 PMCID: PMC4020779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2013] [Accepted: 04/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Threatened preterm labor (TPTL) is defined as persistent premature uterine contractions between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation and is the most common condition that requires hospitalization during pregnancy. Most of these TPTL women continue their pregnancies to term while only an estimated 5% will deliver a premature baby within ten days. The aim of this work was to study differential whole blood gene expression associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) within 48 hours of hospital admission. Peripheral blood was collected at point of hospital admission from 154 women with TPTL before any medical treatment. Microarrays were utilized to investigate differential whole blood gene expression between TPTL women who did (n = 48) or did not have a sPTB (n = 106) within 48 hours of admission. Total leukocyte and neutrophil counts were significantly higher (35% and 41% respectively) in women who had sPTB than women who did not deliver within 48 hours (p<0.001). Fetal fibronectin (fFN) test was performed on 62 women. There was no difference in the urine, vaginal and placental microbiology and histopathology reports between the two groups of women. There were 469 significant differentially expressed genes (FDR<0.05); 28 differentially expressed genes were chosen for microarray validation using qRT-PCR and 20 out of 28 genes were successfully validated (p<0.05). An optimal random forest classifier model to predict sPTB was achieved using the top nine differentially expressed genes coupled with peripheral clinical blood data (sensitivity 70.8%, specificity 75.5%). These differentially expressed genes may further elucidate the underlying mechanisms of sPTB and pave the way for future systems biology studies to predict sPTB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujing Jan Heng
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Craig Edward Pennell
- School of Women's and Infants' Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Hon Nian Chua
- Institute for Infocomm Research, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Stephen James Lye
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Tsui NBY, Wong CSC, Chow KCK, Lo ESF, Cheng YKY. Investigation of biological factors influencing the placental mRNA profile in maternal plasma. Prenat Diagn 2014; 34:251-8. [PMID: 24352757 DOI: 10.1002/pd.4300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Revised: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Circulating placental-derived RNA is useful for noninvasive prenatal investigation. However, in addition to placental gene expression, there are limited investigations on other biological parameters that may affect the circulating placental RNA profile. In this study, we explored two of these potential parameters. METHODS We first demonstrated the existence of such biological parameters by comparing the relative levels of a panel of placental-derived transcripts between the placentas and maternal plasma by digital PCRs. We then compared the post-delivery clearance of the transcripts by serial plasma samples collected from pregnant women after delivery. We also studied the placental in vivo localization of the transcripts by in situ hybridization. RESULTS There was an imperfect correlation of the transcript levels between the placentas and maternal plasma, with placenta-specific 4 (PLAC4) mRNA showing the largest discrepancy. Although PLAC4 mRNA showed a similar clearance half-life with other transcripts, we observed a preferential localization of PLAC4 mRNA around the villous surface. We speculated that this phenomenon might play a role in favoring the release of PLAC4 mRNA molecules into maternal plasma. CONCLUSION We revealed that in addition to expression levels in the placenta, other biological factors might interplay to determine the maternal plasma profile of placental-derived RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy B Y Tsui
- Centre for Research into Circulating Fetal Nucleic Acids, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Hong Kong; Departments of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Wang Y, Yang X, Zheng Y, Wu ZH, Zhang XA, Li QP, He XY, Wang CZ, Feng ZC. The SEPS1 G-105A polymorphism is associated with risk of spontaneous preterm birth in a Chinese population. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65657. [PMID: 23776519 PMCID: PMC3679159 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 04/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation plays an important role in the etiology and pathophysiology of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB), and selenoprotein S (SEPS1) is involved in regulating the inflammatory response. Recently the G-105A promoter polymorphism in SEPS1 was shown to increase pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. We examined whether this functional polymorphism was related to the risk of SPTB in a Chinese population. We also examined the impact of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) on susceptibility to SPTB. The SEPS1 G-105A polymorphism was genotyped in 569 preterm singleton neonates and 673 term neonates by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. χ2 tests and logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). We observed that, compared with the GG genotype, –105A positive genotypes (GA + AA genotypes) were associated with significantly increased susceptibility to SPTB (adjusted OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.36–2.57; P<0.001). The –105A positive genotypes were also significantly associated with increased susceptibility to SPTB, both in the patients with PROM (adjusted OR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.73–4.03; P<0.001) and in those without PROM (adjusted OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.09–2.24; P = 0.015). The –105A positive genotypes were also significantly associated with increased susceptibility to SPTB between extremely preterm neonates and controls (adjusted OR, 4.46; 95% CI, 1.86–10.73; P = 0.002) and between moderately preterm neonates and controls (adjusted OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.25–2.47; P = 0.001). Our findings suggest that the SEPS1 G-105A polymorphism contributes to the risk of developing SPTB in a Chinese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- BaYi Children’s Hospital, General Military Hospital of Beijing PLA, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Yang
- BaYi Children’s Hospital, General Military Hospital of Beijing PLA, P. R. China
| | - Yong Zheng
- The 309 Hospital of PLA, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhi-Hao Wu
- Department of Infectious Disease Control, Beijing Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Ai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Qiu-Ping Li
- BaYi Children’s Hospital, General Military Hospital of Beijing PLA, P. R. China
| | - Xi-Yu He
- BaYi Children’s Hospital, General Military Hospital of Beijing PLA, P. R. China
| | - Chun-Zhi Wang
- BaYi Children’s Hospital, General Military Hospital of Beijing PLA, P. R. China
- * E-mail: (ZCF); (CZW)
| | - Zhi-Chun Feng
- BaYi Children’s Hospital, General Military Hospital of Beijing PLA, P. R. China
- * E-mail: (ZCF); (CZW)
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