Projects per year
Abstract
Introduction: Placenta-associated pregnancy complications, including pre-eclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are conditions postulated to originate from initial failure of placentation, leading to clinical sequelae indicative of endothelial dysfunction. Vascular smooth muscle aberrations have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of both disorders via smooth muscle contractility and relaxation mediated by Myosin Light Chain Phosphatase (MLCP) and the oppositional contractile action of Myosin Light Chain Kinase. PPP1R12A is a constituent part of the MLCP complex responsible for dephosphorylation of myosin fibrils. We hypothesize that alternative splicing of micro-exons result in isoforms lacking the functional leucine zipper (LZ) domain which may give those cells expressing these alternative transcripts a tendency towards contraction and vasoconstriction.
Methods: Expression was determined by qRT-PCR. Epigenetic profiling consisted of bisulphite-based DNA methylation analysis and ChIP for underlying histone modifications.
Results: We identified several novel transcripts with alternative micro-exon inclusion that would produce LZ- PPP1R12A protein. qRT-PCR revealed some isoforms, including the PPP1R12A canonical transcript, are differentially expressed in placenta biopsies from PE and IUGR samples compared to uncomplicated pregnancies.
Discussion: We propose that upregulation of PPP1R12A expression in complicated pregnancies may be due to enhanced promoter activity leading to increased transcription as a response to physiological stress in the placenta, which we show is independent of promoter DNA methylation.
Methods: Expression was determined by qRT-PCR. Epigenetic profiling consisted of bisulphite-based DNA methylation analysis and ChIP for underlying histone modifications.
Results: We identified several novel transcripts with alternative micro-exon inclusion that would produce LZ- PPP1R12A protein. qRT-PCR revealed some isoforms, including the PPP1R12A canonical transcript, are differentially expressed in placenta biopsies from PE and IUGR samples compared to uncomplicated pregnancies.
Discussion: We propose that upregulation of PPP1R12A expression in complicated pregnancies may be due to enhanced promoter activity leading to increased transcription as a response to physiological stress in the placenta, which we show is independent of promoter DNA methylation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Placenta |
Volume | 151 |
Early online date | 9 Apr 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2024 |
Keywords
- DNA methylation
- Micro-exons
- PPP1R12A
- Placenta
Projects
- 2 Active
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Nutrition and the epigenome: early environmental factors influencing human developmental programming
1/10/20 → 30/09/25
Project: Research