Document Detail


Gene profiling of maternal hepatic adaptations to pregnancy.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20040050     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Maternal metabolic demands change dramatically during the course of gestation and must be co-ordinated with the needs of the developing placenta and fetus. The liver is critically involved in metabolism and other important functions. However, maternal hepatic adjustments to pregnancy are poorly understood. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influences of pregnancy on the maternal liver growth and gene expression profile. METHODS: Holtzman Sprague-Dawley rats were mated and sacrificed at various stages of gestation and post-partum. The maternal livers were analysed in gravimetric response, DNA content by PicoGreen dsDNA quantitation reagent, hepatocyte ploidy by flow cytometry and hepatocyte proliferation by ki-67 immunostaining. Gene expression profiling of non-pregnant and gestation d18.5 maternal hepatic tissue was analysed using a DNA microarray approach and partially verified by northern blot or quantitative real-time PCR analysis. RESULTS: During pregnancy, the liver exhibited approximately an 80% increase in size, proportional to the increase in body weight of the pregnant animals. The pregnancy-induced hepatomegaly was a physiological event of liver growth manifested by increases in maternal hepatic DNA content and hepatocyte proliferation. Pregnancy did not affect hepatocyte polyploidization. Pregnancy-dependent changes in hepatic expression were noted for a number of genes, including those associated with cell proliferation, cytokine signalling, liver regeneration and metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: The metabolic demands of pregnancy cause marked adjustments in maternal liver physiology. Central to these adjustments are an expansion in hepatic capacity and changes in hepatic gene expression. Our findings provide insights into pregnancy-dependent hepatic adaptations.
Authors:
Juan J Bustamante; Bryan L Copple; Michael J Soares; Guoli Dai
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural     Date:  2009-12-22
Journal Detail:
Title:  Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver     Volume:  30     ISSN:  1478-3231     ISO Abbreviation:  Liver Int.     Publication Date:  2010 Mar 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-05-11     Completed Date:  2010-08-30     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101160857     Medline TA:  Liver Int     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  406-15     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Division of Cancer & Developmental Biology, Institute of Maternal-Fetal Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adaptation, Physiological*
Animals
Blotting, Northern
Cell Proliferation
DNA / metabolism
Female
Gene Expression Profiling*
Hepatocytes / cytology,  metabolism
Ki-67 Antigen / metabolism
Liver / anatomy & histology,  metabolism,  physiology*
Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
Pregnancy / genetics*,  physiology
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
HD020676/HD/NICHD NIH HHS; HD048861/HD/NICHD NIH HHS
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Ki-67 Antigen; 9007-49-2/DNA

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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