RGS2 promotes estradiol biosynthesis by trophoblasts during human pregnancy

Experimental & Molecular Medicine, Published online: 18 January 2023; doi:10.1038/s12276-023-00927-zPre-eclampsia can arise from mutations that affect the production of estradiol, a hormone with a critical role in sustaining the placenta during fetal development. Roughly one in 20 pregnancies are affected by this complication, which can put both mother and child at risk and typically manifests as high blood pressure and elevated levels of protein in the urine. The causes of pre-eclampsia are poorly understood, but Chao Tang of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China, and colleagues have now linked this condition to defective hormone synthesis. Working with cultured human cells and mouse models, they showed that mutations in a gene called RGS2 disrupt expression of an enzyme that produces estradiol in the placenta. The researchers also determined that RGS2 expression is consistently lower in placentas from mothers with pre-eclampsia than from unaffected mothers.

Source: Experimental and Molecular Medicine - January 18, 2023 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Chao Tang Meiyuan Jin Bingbing Ma Bin Cao Chao Lin Shouying Xu Jiayong Li Qiang Xu Source Type: research