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Song S, Li X, Xue X, Dong W, Li C. Progress in the Study of the Role and Mechanism of HTRA1 in Diseases Related to Vascular Abnormalities. Int J Gen Med 2024; 17:1479-1491. [PMID: 38650587 PMCID: PMC11034561 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s456912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
High temperature requirement A1 (HTRA1) is a member of the serine protease family, comprising four structural domains: IGFBP domain, Kazal domain, protease domain and PDZ domain. HTRA1 encodes a serine protease, a secreted protein that is widely expressed in the vasculature. HTRA1 regulates a wide range of physiological processes through its proteolytic activity, and is also involved in a variety of vascular abnormalities-related diseases. This article reviews the role of HTRA1 in the development of vascular abnormalities-related hereditary cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), tumors and other diseases. Through relevant research advances to understand the role of HTRA1 in regulating signaling pathways or refolding, translocation, degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, thus directly or indirectly regulating angiogenesis, vascular remodeling, and playing an important role in vascular homeostasis, further understanding the mechanism of HTRA1's role in vascular abnormality-related diseases is important for HTRA1 to be used as a therapeutic target in related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shina Song
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Geriatrics, General Hospital of TISCO, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaofeng Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuting Xue
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Cancer, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenping Dong
- Department of Geriatrics, General Hospital of TISCO, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Changxin Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
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Awoyemi T, Zhang W, Rahbar M, Cribbs A, Logenthiran P, Jiang S, Collett G, Cerdeira AS, Vatish M. A cross-sectional analysis of syncytiotrophoblast membrane extracellular vesicles-derived transcriptomic biomarkers in early-onset preeclampsia. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023; 10:1291642. [PMID: 38099221 PMCID: PMC10720444 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1291642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder affecting 2%-8% of pregnancies worldwide. Biomarker(s) for the disorder exists, but while these have excellent negative predictive value, their positive predictive value is poor. Extracellular vesicles released by the placenta into the maternal circulation, syncytiotrophoblast membrane extracellular vesicles (STB-EVs), have been identified as being involved in PE with the potential to act as liquid biopsies. Objective The objective of this study was to identify the difference in the transcriptome of placenta and STB-EVs between preeclampsia and normal pregnancy (NP) and mechanistic pathways. Methods/study design We performed RNA-sequencing on placental tissue, medium/large and small STB-EVs from PE (n = 6) and NP (n = 6), followed by bioinformatic analysis to identify targets that could be used in the future for EV-based diagnostic tests for preeclampsia. Some of the identified biomarkers were validated with real-time polymerase chain reactions. Results Our analysis identified a difference in the transcriptomic STB-EV cargo between PE and NP. We then identified and verified the differential expression of FLNB, COL17A1, SLC45A4, LEP, HTRA4, PAPP-A2, EBI3, HSD17B1, FSTL3, INHBA, SIGLEC6, and CGB3. Our analysis also identified interesting mechanistic processes via an in silico prediction of STB-EV-based mechanistic pathways. Conclusions In this study, using comprehensive profiling of differentially expressed/carried genes of three linked sample subtypes in PE, we identified potential biomarkers and mechanistic gene pathways that may be important in the pathophysiology of PE and could be further explored in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toluwalase Awoyemi
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Zhang
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Maryam Rahbar
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Cribbs
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Prasanna Logenthiran
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Shuhan Jiang
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin Collett
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Sofia Cerdeira
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Manu Vatish
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Lermant A, Rabussier G, Lanz HL, Davidson L, Porter IM, Murdoch CE. Development of a human iPSC-derived placental barrier-on-chip model. iScience 2023; 26:107240. [PMID: 37534160 PMCID: PMC10392097 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Although recently developed placenta-on-chip systems opened promising perspectives for placental barrier modeling, they still lack physiologically relevant trophoblasts and are poorly amenable to high-throughput studies. We aimed to implement human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived trophoblasts into a multi-well microfluidic device to develop a physiologically relevant and scalable placental barrier model. When cultured in a perfused micro-channel against a collagen-based matrix, hiPSC-derived trophoblasts self-arranged into a 3D structure showing invasive behavior, fusogenic and endocrine activities, structural integrity, and expressing placental transporters. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the microfluidic 3D environment boosted expression of genes related to early placental structural development, mainly involved in mechanosensing and cell surface receptor signaling. These results demonstrated the feasibility of generating a differentiated primitive syncytium from hiPSC in a microfluidic platform. Besides expanding hiPSC-derived trophoblast scope of applications, this study constitutes an important resource to improve placental barrier models and boost research and therapeutics evaluation in pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agathe Lermant
- Systems Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK
| | | | | | - Lindsay Davidson
- Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Facility, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Iain M. Porter
- Dundee Imaging Facility, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Colin E. Murdoch
- Systems Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK
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Hayder H, Shan Y, Chen Y, O’Brien JA, Peng C. Role of microRNAs in trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodeling: Implications for preeclampsia. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:995462. [PMID: 36263015 PMCID: PMC9575991 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.995462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now well-established that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression. The role of miRNAs in placental development and trophoblast function is constantly expanding. Trophoblast invasion and their ability to remodel uterine spiral arteries are essential for proper placental development and successful pregnancy outcome. Many miRNAs are reported to be dysregulated in pregnancy complications, especially preeclampsia and they exert various regulatory effects on trophoblasts. In this review, we provide a brief overview of miRNA biogenesis and their mechanism of action, as well as of trophoblasts differentiation, invasion and spiral artery remodeling. We then discuss the role of miRNAs in trophoblasts invasion and spiral artery remodeling, focusing on miRNAs that have been thoroughly investigated, especially using multiple model systems. We also discuss the potential role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heyam Hayder
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yanan Shan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Chun Peng
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Research on Biomolecular Interactions, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Chun Peng,
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5
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Czamara D, Cruceanu C, Lahti-Pulkkinen M, Dieckmann L, Ködel M, Sauer S, Rex-Haffner M, Sammallahti S, Kajantie E, Laivuori H, Lahti J, Räikkönen K, Binder EB. Genome-Wide Copy Number Variant and High-Throughput Transcriptomics Analyses of Placental Tissues Underscore Persisting Child Susceptibility in At-Risk Pregnancies Cleared in Standard Genetic Testing. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911448. [PMID: 36232765 PMCID: PMC9569583 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that children from pregnancies with estimated first-trimester risk based on fetal nuchal translucency thickness and abnormal maternal serum pregnancy protein and hormone levels maintain a higher likelihood of adverse outcomes, even if initial testing for known genetic conditions is negative. We used the Finnish InTraUterine cohort (ITU), which is a comprehensively characterized perinatal cohort consisting of 943 mothers and their babies followed throughout pregnancy and 18 months postnatally, including mothers shortlisted for prenatal genetic testing but cleared for major aneuploidies (cases: n = 544, 57.7%) and control pregnancies (n = 399, 42.3%). Using genome-wide genotyping and RNA sequencing of first-trimester and term placental tissue, combined with medical information from registry data and maternal self-report data, we investigated potential negative medical outcomes and genetic susceptibility to disease and their correlates in placenta gene expression. Case mothers did not present with higher levels of depression, perceived stress, or anxiety during pregnancy. Case children were significantly diagnosed more often with congenital malformations of the circulatory system (4.12 (95% CI [1.22−13.93]) higher hazard) and presented with significantly more copy number duplications as compared to controls (burden analysis, based on all copy number variants (CNVs) with at most 10% frequency, 823 called duplications in 297 cases versus 626 called duplications in 277 controls, p = 0.01). Fifteen genes showed differential gene expression (FDR < 0.1) in association with congenital malformations in first-trimester but not term placenta. These were significantly enriched for genes associated with placental dysfunction. In spite of normal routine follow-up prenatal testing results in early pregnancy, case children presented with an increased likelihood of negative outcomes, which should prompt vigilance in follow-up during pregnancy and after birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darina Czamara
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Cristiana Cruceanu
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marius Lahti-Pulkkinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Linda Dieckmann
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Maik Ködel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Susann Sauer
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Monika Rex-Haffner
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Sara Sammallahti
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eero Kajantie
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
- Children’s Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine, PEDEGO Research Unit, MRC Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hannele Laivuori
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tampere University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland
| | - Jari Lahti
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katri Räikkönen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elisabeth B. Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Correspondence:
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Porphyromonas gingivalis-mediated disruption in spiral artery remodeling is associated with altered uterine NK cell populations and dysregulated IL-18 and Htra1. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14799. [PMID: 36042379 PMCID: PMC9427787 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19239-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired spiral artery remodeling (IRSA) underpins the great obstetrical syndromes. We previously demonstrated that intrauterine infection with the periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, induces IRSA in rats. Since our previous studies only examined the end stage of arterial remodeling, the aim of this study was to identify the impact of P. gingivalis infection on the earlier stages of remodeling. Gestation day (GD) 11 specimens, a transition point between trophoblast-independent remodeling and the start of extravillous trophoblast invasion, were compared to late stage GD18 tissues. P. gingivalis was found in decidual stroma of GD11 specimens that already had reduced spiral artery remodeling defined as smaller arterial lumen size, increased retention of vascular smooth muscle, and decreased invasion by extravillous trophoblasts. At GD11, P. gingivalis-induced IRSA coincided with altered uterine natural killer (uNK) cell populations, decreased placental bed expression of interleukin-18 (IL-18) with increased production of temperature requirement A1 (Htra1), a marker of oxidative stress. By GD18, placental bed IL-18 and Htra1 levels, and uNK cell numbers were equivalent in control and infected groups. However, infected GD18 placental bed specimens had decreased TNF + T cells. These results suggest disturbances in placental bed decidual stroma and uNK cells are involved in P. gingivalis-mediated IRSA.
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7
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Interplay between HTRA1 and classical signalling pathways in organogenesis and diseases. Saudi J Biol Sci 2022; 29:1919-1927. [PMID: 35531175 PMCID: PMC9072889 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The high temperature requirement factor A1 (HTRA1) is a serine protease which modulates an array of signalling pathways driving basal biological processes. HTRA1 plays a significant role in cell proliferation, migration and fate determination, in addition to controlling protein aggregates through refolding, translocation or degradation. The mutation of HTRA1 has been implicated in a plethora of disorders and this has also led to its growing interest as drug therapy target. This review details the involvement of HTRA1 in certain signalling pathways, namely the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), canonical Wingless/Integrated (WNT) and NOTCH signalling pathways during organogenesis and various disease pathogenesis such as preeclampsia, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), small vessel disease and cancer. We have also explored possible avenues of exploiting the serine proteases for therapeutic management of these disorders.
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Fecher-Trost C, Wolske K, Wesely C, Löhr H, Klawitter DS, Weissgerber P, Gradhand E, Burren CP, Mason AE, Winter M, Wissenbach U. Mutations That Affect the Surface Expression of TRPV6 Are Associated with the Upregulation of Serine Proteases in the Placenta of an Infant. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12694. [PMID: 34884497 PMCID: PMC8657554 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [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: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, we reported a case of an infant with neonatal severe under-mineralizing skeletal dysplasia caused by mutations within both alleles of the TRPV6 gene. One mutation results in an in frame stop codon (R510stop) that leads to a truncated, nonfunctional TRPV6 channel, and the second in a point mutation (G660R) that, surprisingly, does not affect the Ca2+ permeability of TRPV6. We mimicked the subunit composition of the unaffected heterozygous parent and child by coexpressing the TRPV6 G660R and R510stop mutants and combinations with wild type TRPV6. We show that both the G660R and R510stop mutant subunits are expressed and result in decreased calcium uptake, which is the result of the reduced abundancy of functional TRPV6 channels within the plasma membrane. We compared the proteomic profiles of a healthy placenta with that of the diseased infant and detected, exclusively in the latter two proteases, HTRA1 and cathepsin G. Our results implicate that the combination of the two mutant TRPV6 subunits, which are expressed in the placenta of the diseased child, is responsible for the decreased calcium uptake, which could explain the skeletal dysplasia. In addition, placental calcium deficiency also appears to be associated with an increase in the expression of proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Fecher-Trost
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
| | - Karin Wolske
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
| | - Christine Wesely
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
| | - Heidi Löhr
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
| | - Daniel S. Klawitter
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
| | - Petra Weissgerber
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
- Transgenic Technologies, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Building 61.4, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Elise Gradhand
- Kinder- und Perinatalpathologie Dr. Senckenberg, Institut für Pathologie Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt/Main Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany;
| | - Christine P. Burren
- Department of Translational Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Upper Maudlin St, Bristol BS2 8BJ, UK;
| | - Anna E. Mason
- Histopathology Department, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Royal Gwent Hospital, Cardiff NP20 2UB, UK;
| | - Manuel Winter
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
| | - Ulrich Wissenbach
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Saarland University, Buildings 61.4 and 46, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (C.F.-T.); (K.W.); (C.W.); (H.L.); (D.S.K.); (P.W.); (M.W.)
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Overview of Human HtrA Family Proteases and Their Distinctive Physiological Roles and Unique Involvement in Diseases, Especially Cancer and Pregnancy Complications. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910756. [PMID: 34639128 PMCID: PMC8509474 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian high temperature requirement A (HtrA) proteins are a family of evolutionarily conserved serine proteases, consisting of four homologs (HtrA1-4) that are involved in many cellular processes such as growth, unfolded protein stress response and programmed cell death. In humans, while HtrA1, 2 and 3 are widely expressed in multiple tissues with variable levels, HtrA4 expression is largely restricted to the placenta with the protein released into maternal circulation during pregnancy. This limited expression sets HtrA4 apart from the rest of the family. All four HtrAs are active proteases, and their specific cellular and physiological roles depend on tissue type. The dysregulation of HtrAs has been implicated in many human diseases such as cancer, arthritis, neurogenerative ailments and reproductive disorders. This review first discusses HtrAs broadly and then focuses on the current knowledge of key molecular characteristics of individual human HtrAs, their similarities and differences and their reported physiological functions. HtrAs in other species are also briefly mentioned in the context of understanding the human HtrAs. It then reviews the distinctive involvement of each HtrA in various human diseases, especially cancer and pregnancy complications. It is noteworthy that HtrA4 expression has not yet been reported in any primary tumour samples, suggesting an unlikely involvement of this HtrA in cancer. Collectively, we accentuate that a better understanding of tissue-specific regulation and distinctive physiological and pathological roles of each HtrA will improve our knowledge of many processes that are critical for human health.
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HtrA4 is up-regulated during trophoblast syncytialization and BeWo cells fail to syncytialize without HtrA4. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14363. [PMID: 34257367 PMCID: PMC8277827 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93520-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The outer layer of the human placenta comprises syncytiotrophoblast, which forms through fusion of cytotrophoblasts (syncytialization), and plays a critical role in maternal-fetal communication including nutrient/oxygen transportation and hormone secretion. Impairment in syncytialization inevitably affects pregnancy outcomes. High temperature requirement factor A 4 (HtrA4) is a placental-specific protease, expressed by various trophoblasts including syncytiotrophoblast, and significantly elevated in preeclampsia at disease presentation. However, it is unknown whether HtrA4 is important for syncytialization. Here we first examined HtrA4 expression in primary human cytotrophoblasts during syncytialization which occurs spontaneously in culture, and in BeWo cells which syncytialize upon forskolin stimulation. The success of syncytialization in each model was confirmed by significant up-regulation/secretion of β-hCG, and the concurrent down-regulation of E-cadherin. In both models, HtrA4 mRNA and protein increased concomitantly with syncytialization. Furthermore, the secreted levels of β-hCG and HtrA4 correlated significantly and positively in both models. We next knocked out HtrA4 in BeWo by CRISPR/Cas9. Upon forskolin treatment, control BeWo profoundly up-regulated β-hCG and syncytin-1, down-regulated E-cadherin, and at the same time increased the formation of multinucleated cells, whereas BeWo cells without HtrA4 did not alter any of these parameters. Our data thus suggest that HtrA4 plays an essential role in syncytialization.
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Owen LA, Shirer K, Collazo SA, Szczotka K, Baker S, Wood B, Carroll L, Haaland B, Iwata T, Katikaneni LD, DeAngelis MM. The Serine Protease HTRA-1 Is a Biomarker for ROP and Mediates Retinal Neovascularization. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:605918. [PMID: 33281553 PMCID: PMC7705345 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.605918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a blinding aberrancy of retinal vascular maturation in preterm infants. Despite delayed onset after preterm birth, representing a window for therapeutic intervention, we cannot prevent or cure ROP blindness. A natural form of ROP protection exists in the setting of early-onset maternal preeclampsia, though is not well characterized. As ischemia is a central feature in both ROP and preeclampsia, we hypothesized that angiogenesis mediators may underlie this protection. To test our hypothesis we analyzed peripheral blood expression of candidate proteins with suggested roles in preeclamptic and ROP pathophysiology and with a proposed angiogenesis function (HTRA-1, IGF-1, TGFβ-1, and VEGF-A). Analysis in a discovery cohort of 40 maternal-infant pairs found that elevated HTRA-1 (high-temperature requirement-A serine peptidase-1) was significantly associated with increased risk of ROP and the absence of preeclampsia, thus fitting a model of preeclampsia-mediated ROP protection. We validated these findings and further demonstrated a dose-response between systemic infant HTRA-1 expression and risk for ROP development in a larger and more diverse validation cohort consisting of preterm infants recruited from two institutions. Functional analysis in the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) murine model of ROP supported our systemic human findings at the local tissue level, demonstrating that HtrA-1 expression is elevated in both the neurosensory retina and retinal pigment epithelium by RT-PCR in the ROP disease state. Finally, transgenic mice over-expressing HtrA-1 demonstrate greater ROP disease severity in this model. Thus, HTRA-1 may underlie ROP protection in preeclampsia and represent an avenue for disease prevention, which does not currently exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah A Owen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Kinsey Shirer
- Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Samuel A Collazo
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Kathryn Szczotka
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Shawna Baker
- Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Blair Wood
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Lara Carroll
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Benjamin Haaland
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Takeshi Iwata
- National Institute of Sensory Organs, National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Lakshmi D Katikaneni
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Margaret M DeAngelis
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Department of Pharmacotherapy, The College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States
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12
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Examining Sex Differences in the Human Placental Transcriptome During the First Fetal Androgen Peak. Reprod Sci 2020; 28:801-818. [PMID: 33150487 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-020-00355-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in human placenta exist from early pregnancy to term, however, it is unclear whether these differences are driven solely by sex chromosome complement or are subject to differential sex hormonal regulation. Here, we survey the human chorionic villus (CV) transcriptome for sex-linked signatures from 11 to 16 gestational weeks, corresponding to the first window of increasing testis-derived androgen production in male fetuses. Illumina HiSeq RNA sequencing was performed on Lexogen Quantseq 3' libraries derived from CV biopsies (n = 11 females, n = 12 males). Differential expression (DE) was performed to identify sex-linked transcriptional signatures, followed by chromosome mapping, pathway analysis, predicted protein interaction, and post-hoc linear regressions to identify transcripts that trend over time. We observe 322 transcripts DE between male and female CV from 11 to 16 weeks, with 22 transcripts logFC > 1. Contrary to our predictions, the difference between male and female expression of DE autosomal genes was more pronounced at the earlier gestational ages. In females, we found selective upregulation of extracellular matrix components, along with a number of X-linked genes. In males, DE transcripts centered on chromosome 19, with mitochondrial, immune, and pregnancy maintenance-related transcripts upregulated. Among the highest differentially expressed autosomal genes were CCRL2, LGALS13, and LGALS14, which are known to regulate immune cell interactions. Our results provide insight into sex-linked gene expression in late first and early second trimester developing human placenta and lay the groundwork to understand the mechanistic origins of sex differences in prenatal development.
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13
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Tavarna T, Phillips PL, Wu XJ, Reyes L. Fetal growth restriction is a host specific response to infection with an impaired spiral artery remodeling-inducing strain of Porphyromonas gingivalis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14606. [PMID: 32884071 PMCID: PMC7471333 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71762-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a periodontal pathogen implicated in a range of pregnancy disorders that involve impaired spiral artery remodeling (ISAR) with or without fetal growth restriction (FGR). Using a rodent periodontitis model, we assessed the ability of P. gingivalis to produce ISAR and FGR in Sprague Dawley (SD) and Wistar (WIS) rats. Both infected SD and WIS rats developed ISAR, but only WIS rats developed FGR despite both rat strains having equivalent microbial loads within the placenta. Neither maternal systemic inflammation nor placental (fetal) inflammation was a feature of FGR in WIS rats. Unique to infected WIS rats, was loss of trophoblast cell density within the junctional zone of the placenta that was not present in SD tissues. In addition, infected WIS rats had a higher proportion of junctional zone trophoblast cells positive for cytoplasmic high temperature requirement A1 (Htra1), a marker of cellular oxidative stress. Our results show a novel phenomenon present in P. gingivalis-induced FGR, with relevance to human disease since dysregulation of placental Htra1 and placental oxidative stress are features of preeclamptic placentas and preeclampsia with FGR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanvi Tavarna
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Priscilla L Phillips
- Microbiology and Immunology, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville, MO, USA
| | - Xiao-Jun Wu
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Leticia Reyes
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
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14
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Zurawa-Janicka D, Kobiela J, Slebioda T, Peksa R, Stanislawowski M, Wierzbicki PM, Wenta T, Lipinska B, Kmiec Z, Biernat W, Lachinski AJ, Sledzinski Z. Expression of HTRA Genes and Its Association with Microsatellite Instability and Survival of Patients with Colorectal Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E3947. [PMID: 32486357 PMCID: PMC7312515 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21113947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
HtrA proteases regulate cellular homeostasis and cell death. Their dysfunctions have been correlated with oncogenesis and response to therapeutic treatment. We investigated the relation between HtrA1-3 expression and clinicopathological, and survival data, as well as the microsatellite status of tumors. Sixty-five colorectal cancer patients were included in the study. The expression of HTRA1-3 was estimated at the mRNA and protein levels by quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. Microsatellite status was determined by high-resolution-melting PCR. We found that the HTRA1 mRNA level was higher in colorectal cancer tissue as compared to the unchanged mucosa, specifically in primary lesions of metastasizing cancer. The levels of HtrA1 and HtrA2 proteins were reduced in tumor tissue when compared to unchanged mucosa, specifically in primary lesions of metastasizing disease. Moreover, a decrease in HTRA1 and HTRA2 transcripts' levels in cancers with a high level of microsatellite instability compared to microsatellite stable ones has been observed. A low level of HtrA1 or/and HtrA2 in cancer tissue correlated with poorer patient survival. The expression of HTRA1 and HTRA2 changes during colorectal carcinogenesis and microsatellite instability may be, at least partially, associated with these changes. The alterations in the HTRA1/2 genes' expression are connected with metastatic potential of colorectal cancer and may affect patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Zurawa-Janicka
- Department of General and Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (T.W.); (B.L.)
| | - Jarek Kobiela
- Department of General, Endocrine and Transplant Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Mariana Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland; (J.K.); (A.J.L.); (Z.S.)
| | - Tomasz Slebioda
- Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland; (T.S.); (M.S.); (P.M.W.); (Z.K.)
| | - Rafal Peksa
- Department of Pathomorphology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Mariana Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland; (R.P.); (W.B.)
| | - Marcin Stanislawowski
- Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland; (T.S.); (M.S.); (P.M.W.); (Z.K.)
| | - Piotr Mieczyslaw Wierzbicki
- Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland; (T.S.); (M.S.); (P.M.W.); (Z.K.)
| | - Tomasz Wenta
- Department of General and Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (T.W.); (B.L.)
| | - Barbara Lipinska
- Department of General and Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (T.W.); (B.L.)
| | - Zbigniew Kmiec
- Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland; (T.S.); (M.S.); (P.M.W.); (Z.K.)
| | - Wojciech Biernat
- Department of Pathomorphology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Mariana Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland; (R.P.); (W.B.)
| | - Andrzej Jacek Lachinski
- Department of General, Endocrine and Transplant Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Mariana Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland; (J.K.); (A.J.L.); (Z.S.)
| | - Zbigniew Sledzinski
- Department of General, Endocrine and Transplant Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Mariana Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland; (J.K.); (A.J.L.); (Z.S.)
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15
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Wenta T, Rychlowski M, Jarzab M, Lipinska B. HtrA4 Protease Promotes Chemotherapeutic-Dependent Cancer Cell Death. Cells 2019; 8:cells8101112. [PMID: 31546993 PMCID: PMC6829446 DOI: 10.3390/cells8101112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The HtrA4 human protease is crucial in placentation and embryo implantation, and its altered level is connected with pre-eclampsia. The meta-analyses of microarray assays revealed that the HtrA4 level is changed in brain tumors and breast and prostate cancers, which suggests its involvement in oncogenesis. In spite of the HtrA4 involvement in important physiological and pathological processes, its function in the cell is poorly understood. In this work, using lung and breast cancer cell lines, we showed for the first time that the full-length HtrA4 and its N-terminally deleted variant promote cancer cell death induced by chemotherapeutic drugs by enhancing apoptosis. The effect is dependent on the HtrA4 proteolytic activity, and the N-terminally deleted HtrA4 is more efficient in the cell death stimulation. Furthermore, HtrA4 increases the effect of chemotherapeutics on the clonogenic potential and motility of cancer cells, and it increases cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. HtrA4 may modulate cell death by degrading the anti-apoptotic XIAP protein and also by proteolysis of the executioner pro-caspase 7 and cytoskeletal proteins, actin and β-tubulin. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism of the HtrA4 protease function in cell death and oncogenesis, and they may help to develop new anti-cancer therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Wenta
- Department of General and Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
| | - Michal Rychlowski
- Laboratory of Virus Molecular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland.
| | - Miroslaw Jarzab
- Department of General and Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
| | - Barbara Lipinska
- Department of General and Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
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16
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Wang Y, Lim R, Nie G. HtrA4 may play a major role in inhibiting endothelial repair in pregnancy complication preeclampsia. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2728. [PMID: 30804477 PMCID: PMC6389976 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39565-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Preeclampsia (PE) is a life-threatening complication of human pregnancy with no effective treatment other than premature delivery. It is hallmarked by systemic endothelial injury/dysfunction which is believed to be caused by abnormal levels/types of placenta-derived factors that are circulating in the maternal blood. Emerging evidence suggests that endothelial repair is also dysregulated in PE, as circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) critical for endothelial regeneration are reduced in number and functionality. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. HtrA4 is a placenta-specific protease that is secreted into the circulation and significantly elevated in early-onset PE. Here we investigated the impact of HtrA4 on endothelial proliferation and repair. We demonstrated that high levels of HtrA4 halted endothelial cell proliferation and significantly down-regulated a number of genes that are critical for cell cycle progression, including CDKN3, BIRC5, CDK1 and MKI67. Furthermore, HtrA4 significantly inhibited the proliferation of primary EPCs isolated from term human umbilical cord blood and impeded their differentiation into mature endothelial cells. Our data thus suggests that elevated levels of HtrA4 in the early-onset PE circulation may impair endothelial cell repair, not only by halting endothelial cell proliferation, but also by inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of circulating EPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wang
- Implantation and Placental Development Laboratory, Centre for Reproductive Health, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.,Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Rebecca Lim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.,Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia
| | - Guiying Nie
- Implantation and Placental Development Laboratory, Centre for Reproductive Health, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia. .,Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia. .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
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