HtrA1 in placental cell models: A possible role in preeclampsia

Background: The High temperature requirement A 1 (HtrA1) is a multidomain secretory protein with serine-protease activity involved in the regulation of many cellular processes in both physiological and pathological conditions. HtrA1 is normally expressed in human placenta, and its expression is higher in the first trimester compared to the third trimester, suggesting an important role of this serine protease in early phases of human placenta development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional role of HtrA1 in in vitro models of human placenta in order to define the role of this serine protease in preeclampsia (PE)
Methods: BeWo, HTR8/SVneo and HUVEC cells expressing HtrA1 and showing a cytoplasm localization of HtrA1 were used as syncytiotrophoblast, cytotrophoblast and placental endothelium models respectively. Oxidative stress was induced treating BeWo and HTR8/SVneo cells with H2O2 to mimic PE conditions in order to evaluate its effect on HtrA1 expression. In addition, ..., ,