Altered expression of angiogenesis-related placental genes in pre-eclampsia associated with intrauterine growth restriction

Abstract

Aim: The normal endovascular invasion of trophoblast cells and spiral artery remodeling are impaired in pre-eclampsia. Neither the circulating factor secreted by the placenta nor the cause of the widespread endothelial dysfunction in pre-eclampsia has yet been identified. In an attempt to identify novel factors, we performed a gene expression profiling study of placental tissue from women with and without pre-eclampsia.

Material and methods: The study group comprised two pre-eclamptic patients with intrauterine growth restriction while the control group comprised three healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Gene expression was studied using Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2 micro arrays. We focused on genes associated with angiogenesis. Some of the micro array analysis results were verified using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Results: Gene expression profiling revealed that the expression level of nine genes--ECGF1, JAG1, Palladin, COL18A1, TNFSF12, VEGF, ANPEP, PDGFRA and SERPIN12 - was downregulated whereas the level of four genes--EPAS1, FLT1, SIGLE10 and ANG4--was upregulated in the study group compared with the control group. The real-time RT-PCR results from JAG1, COL18A1 and FLT1 genes were in accordance with the gene expression results.

Conclusion: Our results show new targets for research to understand the mechanisms leading to pre-eclampsia.