Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Section of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Sci Rep. 2016 Aug 26;6:31705. doi: 10.1038/srep31705.
Folate deficiency in fetal life is strongly associated with structural malformations and linked to intrauterine growth restriction. In addition, limited availability of methyl donors, such as folate, during pregnancy may result in abnormal gene methylation patterns and contribute to developmental programming. The fetus is dependent on placental transfer of folate, however the molecular mechanisms regulating placental folate transport are unknown. We used cultured primary human trophoblast cells to test the hypothesis that mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and 2 (mTORC2) regulate folate transport by post-translational mechanisms. Silencing raptor (inhibits mTORC1) or rictor (inhibits mTORC2) markedly decreased basal folate uptake. Folate uptake stimulated by insulin + IGF-1 was mediated by mTORC2 but did not involve mTORC1. mTORC1 or mTORC2 silencing markedly decreased the plasma membrane expression of FR-α and RFC transporter isoforms without affecting global protein expression. Inhibition of the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2 had no effect on folate transport. In conclusion, we report for the first time that mTORC1/C2 are positive regulators of cellular folate uptake by modulating the cell surface abundance of specific transporter isoforms. We propose that regulation of placental folate transport by mTOR signaling provide a direct link between placental function, gene methylation and fetal programming.
胎儿生命期叶酸缺乏与结构畸形强烈相关,并与宫内生长受限有关。此外,怀孕期间甲基供体(如叶酸)的有限可用性可能导致异常的基因甲基化模式,并有助于发育编程。胎儿依赖于胎盘转运叶酸,但调节胎盘叶酸转运的分子机制尚不清楚。我们使用培养的原代人滋养层细胞来检验以下假设:雷帕霉素复合物 1(mTORC1)和 2(mTORC2)通过翻译后机制调节叶酸转运。沉默雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mTOR)的结合蛋白(rapTOR)(抑制 mTORC1)或rictor(抑制 mTORC2)显著降低基础叶酸摄取。胰岛素+IGF-1 刺激的叶酸摄取由 mTORC2 介导,但不涉及 mTORC1。mTORC1 或 mTORC2 沉默显著降低了 FR-α和 RFC 转运体同工型的质膜表达,而不影响全局蛋白表达。泛素连接酶 Nedd4-2 的抑制对叶酸转运没有影响。总之,我们首次报道 mTORC1/C2 通过调节特定转运体同工型的细胞表面丰度来正向调节细胞内叶酸摄取。我们提出,mTOR 信号对胎盘叶酸转运的调节为胎盘功能、基因甲基化和胎儿编程之间提供了直接联系。