title: Reduced placental telomere length during pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have shown that telomere length was significantly reduced in placentas collected at delivery from pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction secondary to placental insufficiency. Placental telomere length measurement during ongoing pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction has never been reported. This was the main objective of our study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In our center, late chorionic villus samplings were performed between 18 and 37 weeks of amenorrhea in 24 subjects with severe intrauterine growth restriction (cases) and in 28 subjects with other indications for prenatal diagnosis (controls). Placental insufficiency was assessed by histo-pathological examination. Relative measurement of telomere length was carried out prospectively by quantitative Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization using fluorescent Peptide Nucleic Acid probes on interphase nuclei obtained from long-term cultured villi and with an automated epifluorescent microscope. A quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction technique was performed to confirm the quantitative Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization results. The number of copies of gene loci encoding the RNA template (hTERC) and the catalytic subunit (hTERT) of the enzyme complex telomerase were also estimated in these placentas by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean fluorescence intensity of telomere probes estimated by quantitative Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization was significantly less for cases compared to controls (p<0.001). This result indicated that mean telomere length was significantly reduced in placentas during pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction. Reduced telomere length was confirmed by the quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction technique. No copy number variation of the hTERC and hTERT loci was noticed for cases, or for controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study clearly demonstrates a reduction of placental telomere length in ongoing pregnancies (from 18 to 37 weeks of amenorrhea) complicated by severe intrauterine growth restriction secondary to placental insufficiency.
authors: EA 2406 Histologie et pathologie moléculaire des tumeurs, Université Bordeaux Segalen, Bordeaux, France. jerome.toutain@chu-bordeaux.fr
authors: Jérôme
authors: J
authors: Toutain
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Prochazkova-Carlotti
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Cappellen
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Jarne
authors: Edith
authors: E
authors: Chevret
authors: Jacky
authors: J
authors: Ferrer
authors: Yamina
authors: Y
authors: Idrissi
authors: Fanny
authors: F
authors: Pelluard
authors: Dominique
authors: D
authors: Carles
authors: Brigitte
authors: B
authors: Maugey-Laulon
authors: Didier
authors: D
authors: Lacombe
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Horovitz
authors: Jean-Philippe
authors: JP
authors: Merlio
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Saura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015193:Chorionic Villi Sampling; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000503:physiopathology; D018628:Gene Dosage; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010927:Placental Insufficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C422952:telomerase RNA; D012313:RNA; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase