Placenta Transcriptome Profiling in Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a serious pathological complication associated with compromised fetal development during pregnancy. The aim of the study was to broaden knowledge about the transcriptomic complexity of the human placenta by identifying genes potentially involved in IUGR pathophysiology. RNA-Seq data were used to profile protein-coding genes, detect alternative splicing events (AS), single nucleotide variant (SNV) calling, and RNA editing sites prediction in IUGR-affected placental transcriptome. The applied methodology enabled detection of 37,501 transcriptionally active regions and the selection of 28 differentially-expressed genes (DEGs), among them 10 were upregulated and 18 downregulated in IUGR-affected placentas. Functional enrichment annotation indicated that most of the DEGs were implicated in the processes of inflammation and immune disorders related to IUGR and preeclampsia. Additionally, we revealed that some genes (S100A13, GPR126, CTRP1, and TFPI) involved in the alternation of splicing events were mainly implicated in angiogenic-related processes. Significant SNVs were overlapped with 6533 transcripts and assigned to 2386 coding sequence (CDS), 1528 introns, 345 5’ untranslated region (UTR), 1260 3’UTR, 918 non-coding RNA (ncRNA), and 10 intergenic regions. Within CDS regions, 543 missense substitutions with functional effects were recognized. Two known mutations (rs4575, synonymous; rs3817, on the downstream region) were detected within the range of AS and DEG candidates: PA28β and PINLYP, respectively. Novel genes that are dysregulated in IUGR were detected in the current research. Investigating genes underlying the IUGR is crucial for identification of mechanisms regulating placental development during a complicated pregnancy.