Department of Anatomy, Embryology Laboratory, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Brain Korea 21 PLUS project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
FEBS Open Bio. 2021 Mar;11(3):804-812. doi: 10.1002/2211-5463.13087. Epub 2021 Mar 2.
Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are fetal proteins secreted by the placenta during pregnancy. The PSG level in maternal serum is an indicator of risk for pregnancy complications. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying PSG gene expression. Recently, the importance of epigenetic regulation of placental genes has been emphasized in the study of developmental defects and placental disease. In this study, the role of the CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) in regulation of PSG expression was investigated to better understand the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of the PSG genes. Inhibition of CTCF expression disturbed transcription of several PSG genes: PSG1, PSG2, PSG4, PSG5, PSG8, and PSG9 were upregulated and PSG6 and PSG11 were downregulated. These transcriptional changes were correlated with decreased CTCF binding and changes in histone modification at the PSG promoters. Our data demonstrate that CTCF is a potential mediator in the regulation of PSG gene expression.
妊娠特异性糖蛋白（PSGs）是胎盘在妊娠期间分泌的胎儿蛋白。母体血清中的 PSG 水平是妊娠并发症风险的指标。然而，关于 PSG 基因表达的分子机制知之甚少。最近，在发育缺陷和胎盘疾病的研究中，强调了胎盘基因的表观遗传调控的重要性。在这项研究中，研究了 CCCTC 结合因子（CTCF）在 PSG 表达调控中的作用，以更好地理解 PSG 基因的表观遗传调控机制。抑制 CTCF 的表达扰乱了几个 PSG 基因的转录：PSG1、PSG2、PSG4、PSG5、PSG8 和 PSG9 上调，PSG6 和 PSG11 下调。这些转录变化与 PSG 启动子处 CTCF 结合减少和组蛋白修饰变化相关。我们的数据表明，CTCF 是 PSG 基因表达调控的潜在介质。
