Yonsei Med J.  2006 Oct;47(5):698-705. 10.3349/ymj.2006.47.5.698.

Telomerase and Apoptosis in the Placental Trophoblasts of Growth Discordant Twins

• Kim SY
• Lee SP
• Lee JS
• Yoon SJ
• Jun G
• Hwang YJ

• KMID: 1381251
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2006.47.5.698

Abstract

In an effort to investigate the molecular basis of growth discordance in embryos that experience the same uterine environment, we compared telomerase activity and apoptosis in placental trophoblasts obtained from growth discordant twins. Between January 2003 and February 2005, placental tissue from twenty pairs of twins was obtained within thirty minutes of delivery. Eleven cases were classified as growth discordant, with birth weight discordance greater than 20%. Nine cases comprised the control group, with less than 20% discordance. Telomerase and apoptotic activities in placental trophoblasts were analyzed by ELISA and immunoblot. Statistical significance was analyzed by a paired t-test, chi- squared test, and ANOVA (SPSS ver 11.0). The average growth discordance was 26.8% in the growth discordant group and 14.4% in the control group. There were no significant differences in maternal age, week of gestation at delivery, parity, or chorionisity between the two groups. In the growth discordant group, the larger twin showed significantly higher telomerase activity (p < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was observed in the control group (p = 0.36). In addition, there was no definitive correlation between telomerase activity and the degree of growth discordance in the larger or smaller twins (R = -0.521 and -0.399, p = 0.15 and 0.25, respectively). The apoptosis proteins Bax and Bcl 2 were detected in both the larger and smaller twins in the growth discordant and control groups. There was no statistically significant difference in Bax expression between the larger and smaller twins (p = 0.25 and 0.92, respectively) for either the growth discordant or the control groups. Bcl 2 expression also showed no significant difference between groups. In Conclusion, A tendency toward reduced telomerase activity and increased apoptosis was discovered in placental trophoblasts of the smaller growth- discordant twin, possibility resulting in delayed fetal growth.

Keyword

Telomerase; apoptosis; trophoblast; twins

MeSH Terms

bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism
Trophoblasts/*enzymology/pathology
Telomerase/*metabolism
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism
Immunoblotting
Humans
Fetal Growth Retardation/*enzymology/metabolism/*pathology
Fetal Development/physiology
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Diseases in Twins/*enzymology/metabolism/*pathology
*Apoptosis

Figure

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  Fig. 1 The correlation between the telomerase activities of larger fetuses and growth discordance.

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  Fig. 2 The correlation between the telomerase activities of smaller fetuses and growth discordance.

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  Fig. 3 Comparison of the apoptotic findings of trophoblasts between the larger fetus and the smaller fetus in the growth discordant group.

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  Fig. 4 Comparison of the apoptotic findings of trophoblasts between the larger fetus and the smaller fetus in the control group.

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