Die CCN-Proteine CYR61 (CCN1) und NOV (CCN3): Regulatoren der Trophoblastinvasion

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Elke Winterhager
• Subject Area: Gynaecology and Obstetrics
• Term: from 2006 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 26927396

Preeclampsia is a placental disease which is life-threatening for mother and child. The most favoured theory for the development of preeclampsia is a shallow invasion of the trophoblast into the maternal compartment including spiral arteries which in turn affects oxygen supply and thus placental and embryonic development. Since the angiogenic and migration factors CYR61 (CCN1) and NOV (CCN3) seem to be important players in mediating migration properties of trophoblast cells we would like to investigate regulation of both CCN proteins as well as migration capacities using different in vitro models. We will address these questions by the following aims: (i) the transcript and protein expression levels of CYR61 and NOV in the extravillous trophoblast will be investigated dependent on environmental hypoxia using the extravillous explant model (VE) and (ii) the effect of CYR61 and NOV expression levels on invasion properties of VE will be analysed using matrigel covered transwell chambers and decidual tissue co-cultures. Furthermore (iii) we will utilize human choriocarcinoma cells transfected with CYR61 and/or NOV as an additional model system to investigate the contributions of both CCN proteins for trophoblast invasion properties.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professorin Dr. Alexandra Gellhaus