Expression of the ERK and AKT –pathway in placentas from severe intra-uterine growth restricted pregnancies

Borgonjen, J. (Julia) (2016) Expression of the ERK and AKT –pathway in placentas from severe intra-uterine growth restricted pregnancies. thesis, Medicine.

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Abstract

Introduction: Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a complicated condition of the fetus and is associated with perinatal morbidity and mortality. There is a link between low birth weight and adverse long term health outcomes. Improper placental function is the most important cause for IUGR. Phosphorylated proteins like AKT and ERK play an important role in several pathways associated with cell growth and proliferation. On the other hand, the method of immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a widely used technique and very time-efficient in combination with a Tissue Microarray (TMA). However, the construction of a TMA is not yet validated for placenta paraffin material. Aims: We want to find out whether the TMA is a valid method for performing immunohistochemistry in placenta tissue and if there a correlation between the expression of the pERK and pAKT pathway in placentas from IUGR children. Materials and methods: For this retrospective case control study we used placenta paraffin material which were taken from 2005 until 2015 at the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG). 22 IUGR cases were selected and these were matched to 15 controls based on their gestational age and birth weight. A TMA was constructed with 222 cores (placenta parenchyma) and 16 control cores. Immunohistochemistry were performed with antibodies for pERK and pAKT. Results: The TMA was constructed successfully without any core loss. Staining with pERK and pAKT was not successful because it was hard to specify the correct location of staining in placenta paraffin material. Conclusion: Validation of a TMA with the use of pERK and pAKT was difficult because the relative unknown staining-patterns of these proteins in placenta and the possible degeneration of the phosphorylated proteins. We can conclude that validation of a TMA should be possible, but is more achievable with a protein that gives better staining results in placenta paraffin. Key words: Tissue Microarray; intra-uterine growth restriction; validation; placenta; immunohistochemistry

Item Type:	Thesis (Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Supervisors: and Scherjon, Prof. Dr. S.A. and Eijsink, Dr. J.J.H. and Leeuwerke, Drs. M. and Obstetrics and Gyaecology UMCG
Faculty:	Medical Sciences
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 11:04
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 11:04
URI:	https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2389

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