Transcriptomic Profiling of Trophoblast Subpopulations in Severe Preeclampsia Reveals Novel Aspects of RNA Dysregulation

The maternal signs of preeclampsia, principally the new onset of high blood pressure, are thought to occur secondary to faulty placentation. Previous studies profiled the gene expression patterns of chorionic villi, the maternal-fetal interface or isolated cytotrophoblasts in this pregnancy complication. We theorized that transcriptomic analyses of trophoblast subpopulations in situ would give us new insights into the role of these cells in preeclampsia pathogenesis. This was a cross-sectional analysis of placentas collected at birth from women who were diagnosed with severe preeclampsia (n=4). Gestational age-matched controls were placentas from women who had a preterm birth with no signs of infection (n=4). Laser microdissection enabled the isolation of samples that were enriched for syncytiotrophoblasts, invasive cytotrophoblasts or endovascular cytotrophoblasts. A microarray approach was used for global transcriptional profiling.