MicroRNA-218-5p Promotes Endovascular Trophoblast Differentiation and Spiral Artery Remodeling

• Published in: Molecular therapy Vol. 26; no. 9; pp. 2189 - 2205
• Main Authors: Brkić, Jelena, Dunk, Caroline, O’Brien, Jacob, Fu, Guodong, Nadeem, Lubna, Wang, Yan-ling, Rosman, David, Salem, Mohamed, Shynlova, Oksana, Yougbaré, Issaka, Ni, Heyu, Lye, Stephen J., Peng, Chun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 05.09.2018; Elsevier Limited; American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy
• Subjects: Achievement tests; Angiogenesis; Cardiovascular system; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell culture; Cell growth; Cell lines; Cloning; Cytokines; Decidua; endovascular trophoblasts; Explants; Gene expression; Growth factors; micorRNA; miR-218-5p; miRNA; Morbidity; Neonates; Original; Placenta; placenta-decidua co-culture; Pre-eclampsia; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; remodeling; Roles; spiral artery; Statistical analysis; Studies; TGF-β; Trophoblasts; vascular transformation; Veins & arteries; placenta-decidua co-culture; endovascular trophoblasts; remodeling; vascular transformation; micorRNA; spiral artery; miR-218-5p; TGF-β; preeclampsia
• ISSN: 1525-0016; 1525-0024; 1525-0024
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2018.07.009

Preeclampsia (PE) is the leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Defects in trophoblast invasion, differentiation of endovascular extravillous trophoblasts (enEVTs), and spiral artery remodeling are key factors in PE development. There are no markers clinically available to predict PE, leaving expedited delivery as the only effective therapy. Dysregulation of miRNA in clinical tissues and maternal circulation have opened a new avenue for biomarker discovery. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-218-5p in PE development. miR-218-5p was highly expressed in EVTs and significantly downregulated in PE placentas. Using first-trimester trophoblast cell lines and human placental explants, we found that miR-218-5p overexpression promoted, whereas anti-miR-218-5p suppressed, trophoblast invasion, EVT outgrowth, and enEVT differentiation. Furthermore, miR-218-5p accelerated spiral artery remodeling in a decidua-placenta co-culture. The effect of miR-218-5p was mediated by the suppression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 signaling. Silencing of TGFB2 mimicked, whereas treatment with TGF-β2 partially reversed, the effects of miR-218-5p. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that miR-218-5p promotes trophoblast invasion and enEVT differentiation through a novel miR-218-5p-TGF-β2 pathway. This study elucidates the role of an miRNA in enEVT differentiation and spiral artery remodeling and suggests that downregulation of miR-218-5p contributes to PE development. [Display omitted] Defects in endovascular trophoblast (enEVT) differentiation and subsequent spiral artery remodeling are major causes of preeclampsia. Brkić et al. elucidate how an miRNA regulates enEVT differentiation. Their findings suggest a critical role of miR-218-5p in normal spiral artery remodeling and in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.