Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 121, 71122 Foggia, Italy.
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 121, 71122 Foggia, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 10;24(4):3612. doi: 10.3390/ijms24043612.
The pathomechanisms of preeclampsia (PE), a complication of late pregnancy characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, and due to improper placentation, are not well known. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from the amniotic membrane (AMSCs) may play a role in PE pathogenesis as placental homeostasis regulators. PLACenta-specific protein 1 (PLAC1) is a transmembrane antigen involved in trophoblast proliferation that is found to be associated with cancer progression. We studied PLAC1 in human AMSCs obtained from control subjects (n = 4) and PE patients (n = 7), measuring the levels of mRNA expression (RT-PCR) and secreted protein (ELISA on conditioned medium). Lower levels of PLAC1 mRNA expression were observed in PE AMSCs as compared with Caco2 cells (positive controls), but not in non-PE AMSCs. PLAC1 antigen was detectable in conditioned medium obtained from PE AMSCs, whereas it was undetectable in that obtained from non-PE AMSCs. Our data suggest that abnormal shedding of PLAC1 from AMSC plasma membranes, likely by metalloproteinases, may contribute to trophoblast proliferation, supporting its role in the oncogenic theory of PE.
子痫前期(PE)的发病机制尚不清楚,这是一种妊娠晚期的并发症,以高血压和蛋白尿为特征,其病因与胎盘植入不当有关。来源于羊膜的间充质干细胞(AMSCs)可能作为胎盘稳态调节剂,在 PE 的发病机制中发挥作用。胎盘特异性蛋白 1(PLAC1)是一种参与滋养细胞增殖的跨膜抗原,与癌症进展有关。我们研究了来自对照组(n = 4)和 PE 患者(n = 7)的人 AMSCs 中的 PLAC1,测量了 mRNA 表达(RT-PCR)和分泌蛋白(条件培养基中的 ELISA)的水平。与 Caco2 细胞(阳性对照)相比,PE-AMSCs 中的 PLAC1 mRNA 表达水平较低,但非 PE-AMSCs 中则不然。PLAC1 抗原可在 PE-AMSCs 获得的条件培养基中检测到,而在非 PE-AMSCs 中则无法检测到。我们的数据表明,PLAC1 可能通过金属蛋白酶从 AMSC 质膜异常脱落,这可能有助于滋养细胞增殖,支持其在 PE 的致癌理论中的作用。