Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have identified a protein within the developing placenta that plays a role in fetal vascular development. Published in Angiogenesis, the finding challenges previous assumptions about the protein’s function and offers potential new insights into pregnancy disorders and infant neurodevelopment.
The temporary organ forms during pregnancy to supply oxygen from mother to baby. It supplies nutrients.
Vascular biologists investigated what keeps gestation on a healthy trajectory. They identified a protein not previously detected in the placenta that influences infant blood vessel formation.
Protein Discovery Challenges Previous Brain Biomarker Assumptions
The newly identified protein is known as soluble platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta or sR-beta. It was previously believed to serve merely as a biomarker of pericyte cell death in the brain.
Pericyte cells help provide structure to blood vessels. However, the recent investigation revealed that the protein is present not only during cell death but also during vascular development.
Researchers established baseline levels of the protein in a healthy, developing placenta. They discovered that it is oxygen-sensitive.
This characteristic suggests the molecule could potentially serve as a therapeutic target for pregnancy disorders such as preeclampsia. According to the study authors, the discovery alters the scientific understanding of the location and purpose of this protein.
Nature doesn’t put cells anywhere unless it’s on purpose. We believe sR-beta is likely involved in some sort of pathway modulation, to keep pericyte development in check.
John Chappell, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Gestational Protein Misregulation Risks Infant Brain Health
The research team is now examining how misregulation of sR-beta during gestation impacts pregnancy outcomes. Investigators hypothesize that having either too much or not enough of the protein could negatively impact neurovascular development in the developing baby, leading to both acute and chronic problems.
Among the potential risks identified by the lab are brain bleeds—a potentially life-threatening condition where blood vessels leak or rupture—and retinopathy, eye damage from inadequate blood flow. The immediate clinical potential lies in using the protein as a biomarker to help clinicians alert doctors to potential neurodevelopmental issues early.
Lab Tracks Protein Changes During Placental Distress
The research was supported by a grant from the Seale Innovation Fund at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. With the baseline protein levels established, the lab’s subsequent phase involves tracking how sR-beta changes during states of placental distress.
The next step of this project is to investigate how this protein changes during placental distress.
Audra Barnes-Lanier, former graduate research assistant and first author
Investigators aim to determine what causes misregulation. They aim to determine what causes misregulation in protein production during gestation.
They are ultimately working toward therapeutic targets designed to prevent or limit infant neurodevelopmental problems before they manifest as long-term conditions.