Decreased placental expression of pre-adipocyte factor-1 in children born small-for-gestational-age: Association to early postnatal weight gain

• Published in: Placenta (Eastbourne) Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 331 - 334
• Main Authors: Díaz, M., Bassols, J., Aragonés, G., Mazarico, E., López-Bermejo, A., Ibáñez, L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; Child Development; Down-Regulation; Embryology: invertebrates and vertebrates. Teratology; Female; Fetal Development; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gestational Age; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age - growth & development; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - biosynthesis; Internal Medicine; Male; Membrane Proteins - biosynthesis; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Placenta; Placenta - metabolism; Postnatal weight; Pre-adipocyte factor-1; Pregnancy; Prenatal growth; SGA; Weight Gain; Pre-adipocyte factor-1; Prenatal growth; Placenta; SGA; Postnatal weight; Human; Adipocyte; Intrauterine growth retardation; Pregnancy disorders; Fetal membrane; Low birth weight; Birth; Weight gain; Fetal diseases; Newborn diseases; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Postnatal; Prematurity; Early; Child
• ISSN: 0143-4004; 1532-3102; 1532-3102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2013.01.011

Preadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) is a key regulator of adipocyte differentiation acting as an inhibitor of adipogenesis; Pref-1 is highly expressed in embryonic tissues and placenta supporting a role in embryonic and fetal growth. The potential impact of placental Pref-1 expression in human pre- and postnatal development is unclear. To assess the contribution of placental Pref-1 to fetal and postnatal growth. Placentas (N = 99) were collected at term delivery from singleton infants, who were born either appropriate (AGA; n = 59) or small-for-gestational-age (SGA; n = 40). Auxological data of all subjects were obtained at birth. In a subset of subjects (n = 31) we also obtained weight data at 4 mo and at 1 yr, together with body composition assessment (by DXA) at the age of 1 yr. Placental expression of Pref-1 was quantified by real-time PCR; the housekeeping gene GAPDH was used for comparisons. Pref-1 was significantly downregulated in the placentas from SGA babies as compared to AGA controls (P = 0.005). In SGA infants placental Pref-1 expression associated positively to body weight at 4 and 12 mo (r = 0.44, P = 0.05; r = 0.66, P = 0.001 respectively); at age 12 mo, placental Pref-1 expression was inversely related to total fat mass and positively correlated with total lean mass (r = −0.59, P = 0.01; and r = −0.59, P = 0.01,respectively). Placental Pref-1 expression in SGA fetuses was decreased and associated with postnatal body weight, suggesting a role of Pref-1 in the regulation of postnatal development.