Preeclampsia is a life-threatening pregnancy complication characterized by persistent high blood pressure, which is more severe if it occurs early in pregnancy. The exact cause of early-onset preeclampsia is unknown and difficult to predict, prevent, and diagnose. Now, in the ACS Journal of Proteome Research, researchers report on six proteins that can be used as targets for diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
The main symptom of preeclampsia is high maternal blood pressure, which in severe cases can lead to maternal organ failure, low infant birth weight, or death of the mother or fetus. Pre-eclampsia before 34 weeks of pregnancy is associated with a high risk of severe outcomes, especially for the fetus. However, little is known about its causes, making it difficult for health care providers to detect the condition before harmful symptoms appear. So Jing Li and colleagues set out to characterize proteins in placental tissue that could provide clues about the causes of juvenile preeclampsia and serve as targets for early detection and treatment.
Researchers collected placental tissue from 30 pregnant women, half with early-onset preeclampsia and half with healthy pregnancies. Li et al. used mass spectrometry to screen molecular fragments in each sample, then used a software program to match the fragments to related proteins. This process identified 59 proteins that were present in different amounts (more or less) in pre-eclamptic and healthy placental tissue samples. The researchers selected 16 of these proteins and targeted them using a different, more sensitive mass spectrometry method that more accurately measures the amount of each protein. Of these 16 proteins, 6 were present in statistically different amounts between tissue sample groups.
Preeclamptic placental tissue had elevated levels of monocarboxylic acid transporter 4, ERO1-like protein alpha, and Pappalysin 2. These proteins are involved in protein synthesis and growth hormone regulation. Preeclamptic placental tissue had lower levels of desmin, caldesmon, and keratin 18 . These proteins play important roles in cardiovascular complications such as cardiac hypertrophy. Blood flow within placental muscle cells. Estrogen signaling and endometrial cell health.
Taken together, these results suggest that cardiovascular complications or estrogen cycling may be associated with the development of early-onset preeclampsia. The researchers say that while more research is needed, identifying these six proteins is a promising first step toward improving the detection and treatment of this life-threatening condition.
sauce:
american chemical society
Reference magazines:
Zhou, J. et al. (2024). Proteomic analysis reveals differences in protein expression in placental tissues of patients with early-onset preeclampsia. Proteome Research Journal. doi.org/10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00404.
