The expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid 6 in healthy and preeclamptic human placenta
Changhwan Ahn (KR), Jae-Hwan Lee (KR), Hyun Yang (KR), Eui-Bae Jeung (KR)
[Ahn] Chungbuk National University, [Lee] Chungbuk National University, [Yang] Chungbuk National University, [Jeung] Chungbuk National University
Context: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disease characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and oxidative stress in the placenta. During the last trimester of gestation, calcium Ca2+ transport from mother to fetus increases dramatically in response to increased demand for Ca2+ caused by bone mineralization in the fetus. Several recent studies have reported that that Ca2+ supplementation can significantly reduce the incidence and severity of preeclampsia or delay its onset. However, other groups have found that Ca2+ supplementation did not alleviate the severity of preeclampsia. Objective: To identify the cause of these varying consequences of Ca2+ supplementation, we analyzed the position, sequence and frequencies of TRPV6 variants in preeclampsia patient. Methods: we analyzed the position, sequence and frequencies of TRPV6 variants in preeclampsia patient and examined gene expression of primary culutre trophoblast from preeclampsia patients with the mutated TRPV6. Results: 20% of these patients were found to have a TRPV6 point mutated gene sequence that resulted in a methionine to valine conversion. Moreover, primary cultured trophoblast from preeclampsia patients with the mutated TRPV6 showed decreased carbamylcholine induced Ca2+ influx compared to the control group. It is possible that the mutated TRPV6 could induce various calcium supplementation effects due to insufficient transport of Ca2+ into components of the placenta such as decidua. Conclusion: In summary, TRPV6 mutation could be a marker for obstinate preeclampsia; therefore, identifying pregnant women with TRPV6 mutation could enable them to take efforts to prevent preelcampsia