Increased interaction between heat shock protein 27 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase) in pre-eclamptic placentas.
OBJECTIVE
Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is a well-known stress response protein that is characterized by its phosphorylative capacity. Hsp27 becomes phosphorylated in response to various stimuli through interaction with several different kinases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interaction between Hsp27 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK], and c-Jun N-terminal kinase) in the human placenta derived from patients with pre-eclampsia.


METHODS
Western blot analysis was used to examine the levels of expression of Hsp27 and MAPK (p38, ERK, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase). Immunoprecipitation analysis was used to determine the interaction between Hsp27 and MAPK (p38 and ERK).


RESULTS
Western blotting analysis and immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of Hsp27 and p-Hsp27 in the placental tissues of the pre-eclampsia group were significantly higher than that in the normal pregnancy group. Immunoprecipitation analysis showed that the interaction between Hsp27 and MAPK (p38 and ERK) was significantly increased in the pre-eclamptic placenta tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
The interaction between Hsp27 and MAPK was increased, suggesting that phosphorylation of Hsp27 might be induced by p38 and ERK in placentas from patients with pre-eclampsia.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea.
Jeong-Kyu
JK
Shin
Young-Taek
YT
Jeong
Hyun-Cheol
HC
Jo
Min-Young
MY
Kang
In-Suk
IS
Chang
Jong-Chul
JC
Baek
Ji-Kwon
JK
Park
Soon-Ae
SA
Lee
Jong-Hak
JH
Lee
Wan-Sung
WS
Choi
Won-Young
WY
Paik
D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015398:Signal Transduction
D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases