Abstract
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with reduced activity of placental amino acid transport systems β and A. Whether this phenotype is maintained in fetal cells outside the placenta is unknown. In IUGR, cord blood tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α concentrations are raised, potentially influencing amino acid transport in fetal cells. We used fetal T lymphocytes as a model to study systems β and A amino acid transporters in IUGR compared with normal pregnancy. We also studied the effect of TNF-α on amino acid transporter activity. In fetal lymphocytes from IUGR pregnancies, taurine transporter mRNA expression encoding system β transporter was reduced, but there was no change in system β activity. No significant differences were observed in system A mRNA expression (encoding SNAT1 and SNAT2) or system A activity between the two groups. After 24 or 48 h TNF-α treatment, fetal T lymphocytes from normal pregnancies showed no significant change in system A or system β activity, although cell viability was compromised. This study represents the first characterization of amino acid transport in a fetal cell outside the placenta in IUGR. We conclude that the reduced amino acid transporter activity found in placenta in IUGR is not a feature of all fetal cells.
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Abbreviations
- AGA:
-
appropriate for gestational age
- BM:
-
basal plasma membrane
- MeAIB:
-
α-(methylamino)isobutyric acid
- MVM:
-
microvillous plasma membrane
- SNAT:
-
sodium-coupled neutral amino acid transporter
- TAUT:
-
taurine transporter
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Acknowledgements
We thank the midwives and medical staff at St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester, for their help in obtaining placentas.
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Supported, in part, by a Wellcome Trust project grant (071224/Z/03/Z).
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Iruloh, C., D'Souza, S., Fergusson, W. et al. Amino Acid Transport Systems β and A in Fetal T Lymphocytes in Intrauterine Growth Restriction and With Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Treatment. Pediatr Res 65, 51–56 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e31818a0793
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e31818a0793
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