Increased placental telomerase mRNA in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed hTERT mRNA levels in normal versus preeclamptic placental samples, examining hTERT expression levels in different clinical manifestations of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.


METHODS
We performed a single-site, prospective case-control study of hTERT mRNA levels in placentas from term and preterm pregnancies with hypertensive disorders compared with unaffected pregnancies. Placental biopsies were collected from 61 patients (preeclamptic: 32; non-preeclamptic (control): 29). Total RNA from placenta was isolated and reversely transcribed to c-DNA. A probe-specific real-time quantitative PCR assay was employed to determine the relative expressional levels of hTERT mRNA levels in these placentas from both unaffected and affected pregnancies with different categories of hypertensive disorders including preeclampsia, severe preeclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver function tests, Low Platelet).


RESULTS
The average ratio of hTERT mRNA levels was 1.73 in the preeclamptic group and 1.02 for control group (p < 0.0001). The hTERT expression levels were elevated for each of the different categories of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy compared with control: HELLP syndrome 1.86, severe preeclampsia 1.81, eclampsia 1.71 and mild preeclampsia 1.63. In addition, hTERT levels were higher in severe than mild preeclampsia (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Elevated hTERT mRNA expression is observed in placentas from pregnancies with different clinical manifestations of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The patho-physiological significance of this finding awaits further studies.
Geifman-Holtzman
Ossie
O
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, USA. Drgeifman@aol.com
Xiong
Yali
Y
Holtzman
Eliezer J
EJ
Hoffman
Barbara
B
Gaughan
John
J
Liebermann
Dan A
DA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D010446:Peptide Fragments; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019098:Telomerase