Differences in mRNA expression of endothelin-1, c-fos and c-jun in placentas from normal pregnancies and pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia and/or intrauterine growth retardation.

ABSTRACT

A defect in placental function has been suggested to be associated both with preeclampsia (PE), with or without concomitant intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), and with IUGR as a single entity. Our aim was to compare the mRNA expression of the growth-related protooncogenes c-fos and c-jun and the vasoconstrictor and growth factor endothelin-1 (ET-1) in placentas from normal pregnancies with those of PE and IUGR. The mRNA expression of c-jun was significantly higher in all groups of complicated pregnancies while ET-1 and c-fos mRNA expression was significantly higher only in the group with IUGR. These results support the concept that an aberrant placental mRNA expression of the ET-1, c-fos and c-jun genes is part of an altered pattern of gene expression in pathological pregnancies.