First published online January 25, 2006
Development 133, 406e (2006)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
A breath of air for pre-eclampsia research
Some cell types can survive and proliferate when there is very little
oxygen around. In humans, cells of the trophoblast - the outermost layer of
cells of the blastocyst - do just this, proliferating in 2% O2
during the first trimester of pregnancy. But how do such cells sense and
respond to low oxygen levels? Armant et al.
(p. 751) turned to the
heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HBEGF), which is expressed in the
placenta during normal pregnancy but is downregulated in pre-eclampsia, a
disorder associated with poor trophoblast survival. They found that exposing a
human first-trimester trophoblast cell line to 2% O2 caused the
upregulation of HBEGF synthesis and secretion, whereas interfering with HBEGF
signalling increased apoptosis. The HBEGF receptors HER1 or HER4 were required
for this upregulation, indicating that cytotrophoblast survival is maintained
by a positive-feedback loop. The authors conclude that low trophoblast
survival in pre-eclampsia could be partly due to reduced HBEGF levels, a
finding that brings with it new therapeutic possibilities.
Related articles in Development:
- Human trophoblast survival at low oxygen concentrations requires metalloproteinase-mediated shedding of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor
- D. Randall Armant, Brian A. Kilburn, Anelia Petkova, Samuel S. Edwin, Zophia M. Duniec-Dmuchowski, Holly J. Edwards, Roberto Romero, and Richard E. Leach
Development 2006 133: 751-759.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
