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Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology
Published in: Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research

Pattern of secretion of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) during pregnancies complicated by fetal aneuploidy, in vivo and in vitro

Authors: Marie Clémence Leguy, Stephanie Brun, Guillaume Pidoux, Houria Salhi, Agnes Choiset, Marie Claude Menet, Sophie Gil, Vassilis Tsatsaris, Jean Guibourdenche

Published in: Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Pregnancy-associated placental protein-A (PAPP-A) is a metalloprotease which circulates as an hetero-tetramer in maternal blood. Its maternal serum concentration in fetal trisomy 21 is decreased during the first trimester, so that PAPP-A is a useful screening biomarker. However, the regulation of PAPP-A placental secretion is unclear. We therefore investigated the secretion of PAPP-A in pregnancies complicated by fetal aneuploidies, both in vivo and in vitro.

Methods

Maternal serum collected between 10 WG and 33 WG during 7014 normal pregnancies and 96 pregnancies complicated by fetal trisomy 21, 18, and 13 were assayed for PAPP-A using the Immulite 2000xpi system®. The pregnancies were monitored using ultrasound scanning, fetal karyotyping and placental analysis. Villous cytotrophoblasts were isolated from normal and trisomic placenta and cultured to investigate PAPP-A secretion in vitro (n = 6).

Results

An increased nuchal translucency during the first trimester is a common feature of many chromosomal defect but each aneuploidy has its own syndromic pattern of abnormalities detectable at the prenatal ultrasound scanning and confirmed at the fetal examination thereafter. PAPP-A levels rise throughout normal pregnancy whereas in trisomy 21, PAPP-A levels were significantly decreased, but only during the first trimester. PAPP-A levels were decreased in trisomy 13 and sharply in trisomy 18, whatever the gestational age. In vitro, PAPP-A secretion was decreased in aneuploidy, and associated with decreased hCG secretion in Trisomy 21 and 18. These biochemical profiles did not appear to be linked to any specific histological lesions affecting the placenta.

Conclusions

These profiles may reflect different quantitative and qualitative placental dysfunctions in the context of these aneuploidies.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Pattern of secretion of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) during pregnancies complicated by fetal aneuploidy, in vivo and in vitro
Authors
Marie Clémence Leguy
Stephanie Brun
Guillaume Pidoux
Houria Salhi
Agnes Choiset
Marie Claude Menet
Sophie Gil
Vassilis Tsatsaris
Jean Guibourdenche
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1477-7827
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7827-12-129

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