Transcriptome analysis of human umbilical cord fibroblasts from babies whose mother experienced preeclampsia

In pregnancies involving preeclampsia (PE), there is evidence that the fetal-placental unit is under oxidative stress. Here we examined primary cell lines generated from umbilical cords (UC) delivered by mothers who had either a normal pregnancy or experienced early onset PE to determine whether the two had distinguishable phenotypes. While all UC provided outgrowths when established in 4 % O2, success was less assured for PE cords under ambient (20 % O2) conditions (P < 0.05). Moreover, proliferation rates of established PE lines, although similar to controls in 4 % O2, were significantly lower in 20 % O2. PE lines grown in 4 % O2 were also more susceptible to the pro-oxidant diethylmaleate than control lines, and unlike controls, were not protected by glutathione.

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Yang P, Dai A, Alexenko AP, Liu Y, Stephens AJ, Schulz LC, Schust DJ, Roberts RM, Ezashi T