Autophagy suppression of trophoblast cells induces pregnancy loss by activating decidual NK cytotoxicity and inhibiting trophoblast invasion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixia Tan¹ ◽  
Shaoliang Yang¹ ◽  
Haiyan Wang¹´⁴ ◽  
Mingqing Li¹´³´⁴

Abstract Background: The crosstalk between trophoblast cells and decidual NK cells plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of normal pregnancy. Recent studies reported that autophagy can induce immune tolerance at the maternal fetal interface, while the mechanism remains unclear. Methods: Autophagy levels in the villi of normal and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) patients were detected by transmission electron microscopy. After co-cultured with trophoblast cells pretreated with 3-MA or rapamycin, NK cells were collected and the expression of killer receptors was detected by flow cytometry (FCM). The invasiveness of trophoblasts was tested by Cell invasion assay. Results: Compared with elective pregnancy termination patients, the level of autophagy in the villi of RSA patients was significantly decreased. Inducing the autophagy level in trophoblast cells with rapamycin could significantly inhibit the cytotoxicity of NK cells in the co-culture system, and supplement of IGF-2 could rectify this effect. Meanwhile, autophagy suppression of trophoblasts reduced the level of Paternally Expressed Gene 10 (PEG10), leading to the impairment of trophoblast cell invasion. In addition, NK cells educated by autophagy-inhibited trophoblasts further decreased the proliferation and invasiveness of trophoblasts. In pregnant mice model, injection with 3-MA promoted the cytotoxicity of uterine NK cells, and increased the embryo absorption rate. Conclusion: Autophagy suppression of trophoblasts increase the cytotoxicity of NK cells and damage the trophoblasts invasion possibly by targeting IGF-2 and PEG10, respectively, which ultimately leads to miscarriage.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixia Tan¹ ◽  
Shangliang Yang¹ ◽  
haiyan Wang¹´⁴ ◽  
Mingqing Li¹´³´⁴

Abstract Background: The crosstalk between trophoblast cells and decidual NK cells plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of normal pregnancy. Recent studies have reported autophagy can induce immune tolerance at the maternal fetal interface, but the mechanism is largely unclear. Methods: Autophagy levels in the villi of normal and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) patients were detected by transmission electron microscopy. In vivo and in vitro, the expression of killer molecules in NK cells was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). And the invasiveness of trophoblasts was tested by Cell invasion assay. Results: Compared with normal abortion patients, the level of autophagy in the villi of RSA patients was significantly decreased. In vitro experiments indicated that co-culture with autophagy suppression of trophoblasts (3-MA-pretreated trophoblasts) increased cytotoxicity of NK cell, which was mediated by the upregulation of insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2). Meanwhile, autophagy suppression of trophoblasts led to a low level of Paternally Expressed Gene 10 (PEG10), leading to impaired cell invasion. In addition, NK cells educated by autophagy-inhibited trophoblasts further decreased the proliferation and invasiveness of trophoblasts. Injection with 3-MA in vivo , the cytotoxicity of uterine NK cells in pregnant mice and the embryo absorption rate were significantly increased. Conclusion: Autophagy suppression of trophoblasts should increase the cytotoxicity of NK cells and damage the trophoblasts invasion possibly by targeting IGF-2 and PEG10, respectively, which ultimately leads to miscarriage.


Author(s):  
Mengya Chen ◽  
Nduwimana Gilbert ◽  
Haixia Liu

Abstract Background Autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) with euthyroid is associated with miscarriage. But the exact mechanism remains unclear. Studies have shown that the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death -ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway is essential for normal pregnancy. However, the expression of PD-L1 in gestational trophoblasts in mice with autoimmune thyroiditis and the mechanisms leading to miscarriage have not been fully investigated. Methods Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to detect the expression of PD-L1, p-ERK, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in embryonic trophoblast cells of pregnant mice with AIT. The expression of PD-L1 in HTR-8/SVneo cells were silenced, and the expression of PD-L1, MMP-2, MMP-9, ERK and p-ERK1/2 was detected by Western blot analyses and immunofluorescence assays. Invasive assays were performed in PD-L1 silenced HTR-8/SVneo cells using a Transwell chamber. Results Compared with normal pregnancy, the expression of PD-L1, ERK, p-ERK, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in embryonic trophoblast cells was significantly lower in pregnant mice with AIT. Compared with the negative control (NC) group (cells transfected with negative control siRNA), phosphorylation of MMP-2, MMP-9 and P-ERK1/2 proteins was significantly reduced in HTR-8/SVneo cells transfected with PD-L1 siRNA, and the number of cells penetrating the membrane was reduced. Conclusion AIT inhibits ERK/MMP-2 and MMP-9 pathways through PD-L1 reduction, attenuates embryonic trophoblast invasion and ultimalely induces miscarriage ultimately.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Chen ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Fang Han ◽  
Lei Yue ◽  
Chunxiao Qiao ◽  
...  

AstractThe mammalian placenta is a remarkable organ. It serves as the interface between the mother and the fetus. Proper invasion of trophoblast cells into the maternal decidua is required for a successful pregnancy. Previous studies have found that the adhesion molecule integrin β4 plays important roles during trophoblast cell invasion. Here, we found that the overall birth rate of the MARVELD1 knockout mouse is much lower than that of the wild-type mouse (P<0.001). In E18.5 MARVELD1 knockout mice, we observed an over-invasion of trophoblast cells, and indeed, the pregnant mice had a partial placenta accreta phenotype. The HTR8/SVneo cell line was used as an in vitro model to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of MARVELD1-mediated trophoblast invasion. We detected a diminished expression of integrin β4 upon the downregulation of MARVELD1 and enhanced migration and invasive abilities of trophoblast cells both in vivo and in vitro. The integrin β4 rescue assay also supported the results. In conclusion, this study found that MARVELD1 mediated the invasion of trophoblast cells via regulating the expression of integrin β4.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiqin Zhu ◽  
Peter C Leung ◽  
Jinlong Ma ◽  
Yan Li

Abstract Activin A Increases Human Trophoblast Invasion by Up-regulating Integrin β1 Through ALK4 Following implantation, extravillous trophoblast cells (EVTs) derived from trophectoderm invade into the maternal decidua to a certain extent, which is tightly regulated by a variety of factors. Activin A, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, has been shown to stimulate the invasion of human trophoblasts (1). Integrin β1 has been implicated in cancer cell invasion and is consistently expressed in human preimplantation embryos (2). However, whether integrin β1 is integrated in activin A signaling and mediates activin A increased-human trophoblast invasion remain unknown. The objective of our study was to investigate the possible mediation role of integrin β1 in the pro-invasive effect of activin A on trophoblasts and illustrate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Primary and immortalized (HTR8/SVneo) cultures of human trophoblast cells were employed as study models. Real-time qPCR, Western blot, and small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown approaches were used to investigate the molecular determinants of activin A-mediated functions. The integrin β1 protein levels in poorly invasive BeWo,JAR and JEG-3 human choriocarcinoma cells were lower than that in highly invasive HTR8/SVneo cells and primary human EVTs, suggesting the possible essential role of integrin β1 in mediating human trophoblast invasion. The expression levels of integrin β1 were up-regulated in a time-dependent manner after activin A treatment in HTR8/SVneo cells. Importantly, siRNA-mediated down-regulation of integrin β1 significantly attenuated both basal and activin A-induced cell invasion in HTR8/SVneo cells as measured by transwell invasion assay. Interestingly, the TGF-β type I receptors (ALK4/5/7) inhibitor SB431542 abolished activin A-induced activation of SMAD2/SMAD3 as well as activin A-up-regulated integrin 1 expression. Moreover, siRNA-mediated down-regulation of ALK4 or SMAD4 attenuated activin A-up-regulated integrin β1 in both HTR8/SVneo cells and human primary EVT cells. These results reveal that activin A promotes human trophoblast cell invasion by up-regulating integrin β1 expression through ALK4-activated SMAD2/3-SMAD4 signaling pathway. Reference: (1) Bearfield et al., Eur J Endocrinol 2005;152:909–16. (2) Campbell et al., Hum Reprod 1995;10:1571–8.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Markova ◽  
O. I. Stepanova ◽  
A. R. Sheveleva ◽  
N. A. Kostin ◽  
V. A. Mikhailova ◽  
...  

Regulation of angiogenesis in the utero-placental bed determines adequate trophoblast invasion, placenta formation and development, as well as successful course of pregnancy. Natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages and trophoblast have the most significant effect on angiogenesis. To date, the functions of cells participating in placenta formation have been described in detail, both individually (in vitrо) and in tissues (in situ). However, no models have yet been created that reflect the interactions of NK cells, trophoblast and endothelium during angiogenesis. It remains unclear, how each cell population contributes to placental angiogenesis regulation, and to the cross-regulation of participating cell functions. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study contact and distant effects of NK cells upon formation of tube-like structures through co-culture of endothelial and trophoblast cells influenced by various cytokines (bFGF, VEGF, PlGF, TGF-β, IL-8, IFNγ and IL-1β). Introduction of NK cells to the co-culture of endothelial and trophoblast cells under conditions of both contact and distance-dependent culturing did not change the length of tube-like structures formed by endothelial cells. During contact-dependent culturing of NK cells with co-culture of endothelial and trophoblast cells in presence of IL-1β, the length of tubule-like structures remained unchanged, compared with the length of tube-like structures formed under the same culturing conditions, but without the cytokine added. During distant culturing of NK cells with co-culture of endothelial and trophoblast cells in the presence of IL-1β, the length of tube-like structures increased as compared with those formed under the same culturing conditions but without the cytokine. During contact-dependent (but not distant) culturing of NK cells with the co-culture of endothelial and trophoblast cells in the presence of VEGF, the length of tube-like structures was greater than those formed under the same culturing conditions but without the cytokine. When used in a three-component cell system, the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFNγhad no effect upon angiogenesis. During distant (but not contact-dependent) culturing of NK cells with co-culture of endothelial and trophoblast cells in the presence of TGF-β, the length of tube-like structures was less than the length of tube-like structures formed under the same culturing conditions but without the cytokine. Under conditions of distant culturing, TGF-βtriggered a signal in NK cells that inhibited angiogenesis. Decreased length of tube-like structures under conditions of a three-component cell co-culture in the presence of the following pro-angiogenic factors was revealed: IL-8, PlGF (during contact-dependent culturing only) and bFGF (during both contact-dependent and distant culturing). Thus, the effects of cytokines upon angiogenesis in a three-component co-culture (NK cells, trophoblast and endothelium) differed from those revealed previously in single-component (endothelium only) and two-component (co-culture of endothelium and trophoblast) cell models. The results of these experiments indicated that regulation of placental cell interactions involved both cellular contacts and effects produced by cytokines.


1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.I. Sheppard ◽  
J. Bonnar

In normal human pregnancy the uteroplacental vessels undergo extensive morphological adaptations to provide an increasing blood flow to the placenta. These involve platelets and fibrin adjacent to trophoblast invasion of spiral arteries.In early pregnancy, single layers of platelets or small thrombi are seen between trophoblast cells which form a pseudo-endothelium of the spiral arteries. In the media trophoblast cells and fibrin are present in an amorphous matrix which replaces the musculo-elastic component of the vessel. In late pregnancy these vascular changes extend into the myometrium, fibrin deposition is increased and mature mural thrombi are found.The fibrin deposition in uteroplacental arteries, is a physiological phenoncma of pregnancy. Fibrin may provide the dynamic structural support required in these vessels expanding to accommodate an increasing blood flow. Fibrin also enables the immediate collapse of the vessel following placental separation. Mural thrombosis in the arterial supplyprobably accounts for areas of ischemia and small placental infarcts found in normal pregnancy. Because of the large placental reserve, this minor degree of spiral artery occlusion does not appear to effect adversely the fetus.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1512
Author(s):  
Yuhan Liu ◽  
Meiling Zhang ◽  
Jinjun Cheng ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Hui Kong ◽  
...  

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (GRR) is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines in clinical practice, which has been applied to treat digestive system diseases for hundreds of years. GRR is preferred for anti-gastric ulcer, however, the main active compounds are still unknown. In this study, GRR was used as precursor to synthesize carbon dots (CDs) by a environment-friendly one-step pyrolysis process. GRR-CDs were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution TEM, fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, cellular toxicity of GRR-CDs was studied by using CCK-8 in RAW264.7 cells, and the anti-gastric ulcer activity was evaluated and confirmed using mice model of acute alcoholic gastric ulcer. The experiment confirmed that GRR-CDs were the spherical structure with a large number of active groups on the surface and their particle size ranged from 2 to 10 nm. GRR-CDs had no toxicity to RAW264.7 cells at concentration of 19.5 to 5000 μg/mL and could reduce the oxidative damage of gastric mucosa and tissues caused by alcohol, as demonstrated by restoring expression of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide in serum and tissue of mice. The results indicated the explicit anti-ulcer activity of GRR-CDs, which provided a new insights for the research on effective material basis of GRR.


Author(s):  
Catherine Finnegan ◽  
Suzanne Smyth ◽  
Orla Smith ◽  
Karen Flood ◽  
Jane Dalrymple ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Despite the rise of non-invasive screening tests for fetal aneuploidy, invasive testing during pregnancy remains the definitive diagnostic tool for fetal genetic anomalies. Results are rapidly available with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, but cases have been reported whereby initial results were not confirmed after pregnancy termination and the fetal karyotype was ultimately normal. We sought to examine the potential discordance between PCR and karyotype for fetal aneuploidy. Methods The results from all amniocentesis and CVS tests performed over a 6-year period in a large tertiary level fetal medicine unit were reviewed. The results of PCR and karyotype were recorded and discrepancies examined. Pregnancy outcomes were also recorded. Results A total of 1222 invasive tests were performed (716 amniocentesis and 506 CVS). Within the cohort having amniocentesis, 11 had discrepant results (normal QF-PCR result but with a subsequent abnormal karyotype). There was 1 case among this group which QF-PCR should have identified. Within the CVS group, 7 patients had discrepant results. All had a diploid QF-PCR and would not have been identified as abnormal by it. Conclusion PCR can be reliably used to determine aneuploidy of chromosomes 13, 18, and 21. However, in cases of sex chromosome aneuploidy, its performance is less reliable and warrants waiting for a complete karyotype. Given such discordance, we advise waiting for karyotype for all invasive tests performed in the presence of a normal ultrasound before advising a patient of a diploid QF-PCR result or potentially terminating a normal pregnancy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
Lucía Pérez-Roque ◽  
Elena Núñez-Gómez ◽  
Alicia Rodríguez-Barbero ◽  
Carmelo Bernabéu ◽  
José M. López-Novoa ◽  
...  

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disease of high prevalence characterized by the onset of hypertension, among other maternal or fetal signs. Its etiopathogenesis remains elusive, but it is widely accepted that abnormal placentation results in the release of soluble factors that cause the clinical manifestations of the disease. An increased level of soluble endoglin (sEng) in plasma has been proposed to be an early diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of this disease. A pathogenic function of sEng involving hypertension has also been reported in several animal models with high levels of plasma sEng not directly dependent on pregnancy. The aim of this work was to study the functional effect of high plasma levels of sEng in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia in a model of pregnant mice, in which the levels of sEng in the maternal blood during pregnancy replicate the conditions of human preeclampsia. Our results show that wild type pregnant mice carrying human sEng-expressing transgenic fetuses (fWT(hsEng+)) present high plasma levels of sEng with a timing profile similar to that of human preeclampsia. High plasma levels of human sEng (hsEng) are associated with hypertension, proteinuria, fetal growth restriction, and the release of soluble factors to maternal plasma. In addition, fWT(hsEng+) mice also present placental alterations comparable to those caused by the poor remodeling of the spiral arteries characteristic of preeclampsia. In vitro and ex vivo experiments, performed in a human trophoblast cell line and human placental explants, show that sEng interferes with trophoblast invasion and the associated pseudovasculogenesis, a process by which cytotrophoblasts switch from an epithelial to an endothelial phenotype, both events being related to remodeling of the spiral arteries. Our findings provide a novel and useful animal model for future research in preeclampsia and reveal a much more relevant role of sEng in preeclampsia than initially proposed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document