Version 1
: Received: 29 July 2024 / Approved: 30 July 2024 / Online: 30 July 2024 (09:41:19 CEST)
How to cite:
Akram, K. M.; Dodd, E.; Anumba, D. O. Effects of warm environmental temperature on human placental transcriptomes in term and preterm births. Preprints2024, 2024072445. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2445.v1
Akram, K. M.; Dodd, E.; Anumba, D. O. Effects of warm environmental temperature on human placental transcriptomes in term and preterm births. Preprints 2024, 2024072445. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2445.v1
Akram, K. M.; Dodd, E.; Anumba, D. O. Effects of warm environmental temperature on human placental transcriptomes in term and preterm births. Preprints2024, 2024072445. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2445.v1
APA Style
Akram, K. M., Dodd, E., & Anumba, D. O. (2024). Effects of warm environmental temperature on human placental transcriptomes in term and preterm births. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2445.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Akram, K. M., Eleanor Dodd and Dilly O.C. Anumba. 2024 "Effects of warm environmental temperature on human placental transcriptomes in term and preterm births" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2445.v1
Abstract
Demographic studies have revealed a strong association between exposure to high ambient temperatures during pregnancy and increased risks of preterm birth (PTB). The mechanism underlying this association is unclear, but it is plausible that altered placental function may contribute. In this study, we conducted differential gene expression analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and gene ontology (GO) analysis on bulk RNA-seq data from human placentas delivered at term and preterm during the warmer months compared to placentas delivered at term and preterm during the colder months in the UK. We detected 48 differentially expressed genes in preterm placentas delivered during the warmer months compared to preterm placentas delivered during the colder months, the majority of which were inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including SERPINA1, IL1B, CCL3, CCL3L3, CCL4, CCL4L2, CCL20, and CXCL8. The GSEA positively enriched 17 signalling pathways, including the NF-κB, IL17, toll-like receptor, and chemokine signalling pathways, in warm-exposed preterm placentas, which were not observed in warm-exposed term placentas. The GO analysis revealed several biological processes, including neutrophil, granulocyte, monocyte, and lymphocyte chemotaxis, as well as inflammatory and humoral immune responses in warm-exposed preterm placentas, but not in warm-exposed term placentas. We conclude that maternal exposure to warm environmental temperatures during pregnancy alters the placental transcriptome towards inflammation and immune regulation, potentially leading to PTB.
Keywords
Thermal effects on placental transcriptome, Climate change and preterm birth, Placental inflammation in heat exposure.
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
