scholarly journals Evolutionary transcriptomics implicates new genes and pathways in human pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katelyn Mika ◽  
Mirna Marinić ◽  
Manvendra Singh ◽  
Joanne Muter ◽  
Jan Joris Brosens ◽  
...  

Evolutionary changes in the anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system underlie the origins and diversification of pregnancy in Eutherian ('Placental') mammals. This developmental and evolutionary history constrains normal physiological functions and biases the ways in which dysfunction contributes to reproductive trait diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here, we show that gene expression changes in the human endometrium during pregnancy are associated with the evolution of human-specific traits and pathologies of pregnancy. We found that hundreds of genes gained or lost endometrial expression in the human lineage. Among these are genes that may contribute to human-specific maternal-fetal communication (HTR2B) and maternal-fetal immunotolerance (PDCD1LG2) systems, as well as vascular remodeling and deep placental invasion (CORIN). These data suggest that explicit evolutionary studies of anatomical systems complement traditional methods for characterizing the genetic architecture of disease. We also anticipate our results will advance the emerging synthesis of evolution and medicine ('evolutionary medicine') and be a starting point for more sophisticated studies of the maternal-fetal interface. Furthermore, the gene expression changes we identified may contribute to the development of diagnostics and interventions for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Mika ◽  
Mirna Marinić ◽  
Manvendra Singh ◽  
Vincent J. Lynch

AbstractEvolutionary changes in the anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system underlie the origins and diversification of pregnancy in Eutherian (“Placental”) mammals. This developmental and evolutionary history constrains normal physiological functions and biases the ways in which dysfunction contributes to reproductive trait diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here, we show that gene expression changes in the human endometrium during pregnancy are associated with the evolution of human-specific traits and pathologies of pregnancy. We found that hundreds of genes gained or lost endometrial expression in the human lineage. Among these are genes that may contribute to human-specific maternal-fetal communication (HTR2B) and maternal-fetal immunotolerance (PDCD1LG2) systems, as well as vascular remodeling and deep placental invasion (CORIN). These data suggest that explicit evolutionary studies of anatomical systems complement traditional methods for characterizing the genetic architecture of disease. We also anticipate our results will advance the emerging synthesis of evolution and medicine (“evolutionary medicine”) and be a starting point for more sophisticated studies of the maternal-fetal interface. Furthermore, the gene expression changes we identified may contribute to the development of diagnostics and interventions for adverse pregnancy outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Dandan Li ◽  
Heng Guo ◽  
Weina Wang ◽  
Xingang Li ◽  
...  

Background: Conflicting data exist regarding the influence of thiopurines exposure on adverse pregnancy outcomes in female patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Objective: The aim of this study was to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of the safety of thiopurines in pregnant IBD women. Methods: All relevant articles reporting pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD received thiopurines during pregnancy were identified from the databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov) with the publication data up to April 2020. Data of included studies were extracted to calculate the relative risk (RR) of multiple pregnancy outcomes: congenital malformations, low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), and spontaneous abortion. The meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. Results: Eight studies matched with the inclusion criteria and a total of 1201 pregnant IBD women who used thiopurines and 4189 controls comprised of women with IBD received drugs other than thiopurines during pregnancy were included. Statistical analysis results demonstrated that the risk of preterm birth was significantly increased in the thiopurine-exposed group when compared to IBD controls (RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.00-1.79; p=0.049; I 2 =41%), while no statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: Thiopurines’ use in women with IBD during pregnancy is not associated with congenital malformations, LBW, SGA, or spontaneous abortion, but appears to have an association with an increased risk of preterm birth.


Author(s):  
Shamil D. Cooray ◽  
Jacqueline A. Boyle ◽  
Georgia Soldatos ◽  
Shakila Thangaratinam ◽  
Helena J. Teede

AbstractGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is common and is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the prevailing one-size-fits-all approach that treats all women with GDM as having equivalent risk needs revision, given the clinical heterogeneity of GDM, the limitations of a population-based approach to risk, and the need to move beyond a glucocentric focus to address other intersecting risk factors. To address these challenges, we propose using a clinical prediction model for adverse pregnancy outcomes to guide risk-stratified approaches to treatment tailored to the individual needs of women with GDM. This will allow preventative and therapeutic interventions to be delivered to those who will maximally benefit, sparing expense, and harm for those at a lower risk.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document