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Reduced Placental Taurine Transporter (TauT) Activity in Pregnancies Complicated by Pre-eclampsia and Maternal Obesity

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Taurine 8

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 776))

Abstract

Taurine is an important nutrient in intrauterine life, being required for fetal organ development and cellular renewal of syncytiotrophoblast (STB), the nutrient transport epithelium of the placenta. As taurine is conditionally essential in human pregnancy, the fetal and placental demand for taurine is met by uptake from maternal blood into STB through the activity of TauT. Pre-eclampsia (PE) and maternal obesity are serious complications of pregnancy, associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and abnormal renewal of STB, and maternal obesity is a major risk factor for PE. Here we test the hypothesis that STB TauT activity is reduced in maternal obesity and PE compared to normal pregnancy.

STB TauT activity, measured in fragments of placental tissue, was negatively related to maternal BMI over the range 18–46 kg/m2 in both the first trimester (7–12 weeks gestation) and at term (p < 0.01; linear regression). Neither TauT activity nor expression in the first trimester differed to normal pregnancy at term. STB TauT activity was significantly lower in PE than normal pregnancy (p < 0.01). Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator which is elevated in PE and obesity, reduced STB TauT activity by 20% (50 pM–50 nM: 2 h) (p < 0.03). Activation of PKC by phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (1 μM) reduced TauT activity by 18% (p < 0.05). As TauT activity is inhibited by phosphorylation, we propose that NPY activates PKC in the STB which phosphorylates TauT in PE and maternal obesity.

Reduced TauT activity could contribute to dysregulated renewal of STB and FGR that are common to PE and maternal obesity.

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Abbreviations

TauT:

Taurine transporter

STB:

Syncytiotrophoblast

MVM:

Microvillous membrane

BM:

Basal membrane

PE:

Pre-eclampsia

FGR:

Fetal growth restriction

BMI:

Body mass index

NPY:

Neuropeptide Y

PKC:

Protein kinase C

PMA:

Phorbol12-myristate-13-acetate

QPCR:

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the midwives and nursing staff of St. Mary’s Hospital for their assistance in obtaining placentas. The research was funded by The Wellcome Trust, Action Medical Research, and Tommy’s (Let’s Talk Baby).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Institute of Human Development, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK

    Michelle Desforges, Andrea Ditchfield, Chloe R. Hirst, Claire Pegorie, Kathryn Martyn-Smith, Colin P. Sibley & Susan L. Greenwood

Authors
  1. Michelle Desforges
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  2. Andrea Ditchfield
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  3. Chloe R. Hirst
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  4. Claire Pegorie
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  5. Kathryn Martyn-Smith
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  6. Colin P. Sibley
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  7. Susan L. Greenwood
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan L. Greenwood .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. City University of New York, Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, 10314, New York, USA

    Abdeslem El Idrissi

  2. City University of New York, Department of Biology, College of Staten Island, Victory Blvd 2800, Staten Island, 10314, New York, USA

    William J. L'Amoreaux

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Desforges, M. et al. (2013). Reduced Placental Taurine Transporter (TauT) Activity in Pregnancies Complicated by Pre-eclampsia and Maternal Obesity. In: El Idrissi, A., L'Amoreaux, W. (eds) Taurine 8. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 776. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6093-0_9

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