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YOMOGITA H, ITO H, HASHIMOTO K, KUDO A, FUKUSHIMA T, ENDO T, HIRATE Y, AKIMOTO Y, KOMADA M, KANAI Y, MIYASAKA N, KANAI-AZUMA M. A possible function of Nik-related kinase in the labyrinth layer of delayed delivery mouse placentas. J Reprod Dev 2023; 69:32-40. [PMID: 36567126 PMCID: PMC9939280 DOI: 10.1262/jrd.2022-120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In mice and humans, Nik-related protein kinase (Nrk) is an X-linked gene that encodes a serine/threonine kinase belonging to GCK group 4. Nrk knockout (Nrk KO) mice exhibit delayed delivery, possibly due to defective communication between the Nrk KO conceptus and its mother. However, the mechanism of delayed labor remains largely unknown. Here, we found that in pregnant mothers with the Nrk KO conceptus, the serum progesterone (P4) and placental lactogen (PL-2) concentrations in late pregnancy were higher than those in the wild type. Moreover, we demonstrated that Nrk is expressed in trophoblast giant cells (TGCs) and syncytiotrophoblast-2 (SynT-2) in the labyrinth layer of the mouse placenta. In the human placenta, NRK is also expressed in Syn-T in villi. Both human Syn-T and mouse TGCs of the labyrinth layer are present within fetal tissues that are in direct contact with the maternal blood. The labyrinth layer of the Nrk KO conceptus was gigantic, with enlarged cytoplasm and Golgi bodies in the TGCs. To investigate the function of Nrk in the labyrinth layer, a differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis was performed. The DEG analysis revealed that labor-promoting factors, such as prostaglandins, were decreased, and pregnancy-maintaining factors, such as the prolactin family and P4 receptor, were increased. These findings suggest that the Nrk KO mice exhibit delayed delivery owing to high P4 concentrations caused by the hypersecretion of pregnancy-maintaining factors, such as PL-2, from the placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi YOMOGITA
- Department of Perinatal and Women’s Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan,Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Hikaru ITO
- Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan,Research Facility Center for Science and Technology, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
| | - Kento HASHIMOTO
- Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Akihiko KUDO
- Department of Microscopic Anatomy, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
| | - Toshiaki FUKUSHIMA
- Cell Biology Center, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa 226-8503, Japan
| | - Tsutomu ENDO
- Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu HIRATE
- Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro AKIMOTO
- Department of Microscopic Anatomy, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
| | - Masayuki KOMADA
- Cell Biology Center, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa 226-8503, Japan
| | - Yoshiakira KANAI
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Naoyuki MIYASAKA
- Department of Perinatal and Women’s Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Masami KANAI-AZUMA
- Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
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