Activin signalling and pre-eclampsia: from genetic risk to pre-symptomatic biomarker.
Cytokine
; 71(2): 360-5, 2015 Feb.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25510903
ABSTRACT
Pre-eclampsia is a multi-system condition in pregnancy that is characterised by the onset of hypertension and proteinuria in women after the 20th week and it remains a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality. Despite this the causative molecular basis of pre-eclampsia remains poorly understood. As a result, an intensive research effort has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in pre-eclampsia and using this information to identify new pre-symptomatic bio-markers of the condition. Activin A and its receptor, ACVR2A, have been extensively studied in this regard. Activin A is a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß superfamily that has a wide range of biological functions depending on the cellular context. Recent work has shown that polymorphisms in ACVR2A may be a genetic risk factor for pre-eclampsia. Furthermore, both placenta and serum levels of Activin A are significantly increased in pre-eclampsia suggesting that Activin A may be a possible biomarker for the condition. Here we review the latest advances in this field and link these with new molecular data that suggest that the oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine production seen in pre-eclampsia may result in increased placental Activin A secretion in an attempt to maintain placental function.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Preeclampsia
/
Biomarcadores
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Transducción de Señal
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Activinas
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
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Etiology_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Female
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Humans
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cytokine
Asunto de la revista:
ALERGIA E IMUNOLOGIA
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Irlanda