TY  - JOUR
TI  - Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins: complex gene families regulating maternal-fetal interactions
AU  - Moore, Tom
AU  - Dveksler, GabrielaS.
T2  - The International Journal of Developmental Biology
AB  - The pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are the most abundant trophoblastic proteins in maternal blood during human pregnancy and they appear to be exclusive to species with hemochorial placentation. There are ten protein-coding human PSG genes (PSG1 - PSG9, PSG11) and also multiple PSG genes in non-human primates, rodents and bats. Several studies indicate that PSGs have immunoregulatory, pro-angiogenic, and anti-platelet functions. Some PSGs have been shown to bind different moieties on the surface of cells, including the tetraspanin CD9, heparan sulphate, and specific integrins. Recently, PSG1 was shown to associate with and activate the anti-inflammatory cytokines transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and TGF- β2 making PSG1 one of the few known biological activators of these important cytokines. TGF-βs regulate many biological processes essential for pregnancy success including trophoblast invasion and proliferation, angiogenesis, extracellular matrix formation and tolerance to the fetal semi-allograft. As summarized in this review, progress has been made in recent years towards a better understanding of the functions of these proteins which were originally described in the early 1970s, but more research will likely contribute to demonstrate their importance for a successful pregnancy.
PY  - 2014
DO  - 10.1387/ijdb.130329gd
VL  - 58
IS  - 2-3-4
SP  - 273
EP  - 280
J2  - Int. J. Dev. Biol.
LA  - en
SN  - 0214-6282
SN  - 1696-3547
UR  - https://ijdb.ehu.eus/article/130329gd
Y2  - 2024/11/23/11:52:04
ER  -