Activin signalling and pre-eclampsia: From genetic risk to pre-symptomatic biomarker

作者：Williamson Rachel D; O'Keeffe Gerard W^*; Kenny Louise C

来源：Cytokine, 2015, 71(2): 360-365.

DOI：10.1016/j.cyto.2014.11.017

• Pre-eclampsia
• Activin A
• ACVR2A
• Biomarker
• Serum

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)-beta 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.

• 出版日期2015-2