Scientists focus on 'guardian of the genome' to understand preterm births

News Brief

May 24, 2017

• Tom Rickey, PNNL, (509) 375-3732

RICHLAND, Wash. - Scientists have gotten a better look at the effects of a gene known as the "guardian of the genome" in causing premature births and miscarriages.

Trp53 is a well-known tumor suppressor gene that maintains genomic stability under normal conditions. But when the gene is changed or mutated, the resulting protein can contribute to cancer progression and wreak havoc in other ways.

A team of scientists led by corresponding author Kristin Burnum-Johnson at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab has traced some of the steps that occur in lab mice in which the gene is not active in the uterus. The team found that molecules called lipids that are crucial for proper cell signaling and others functions are changed during early pregnancy. Those are among the 1st changes that happen in preterm labor - a term that encompasses both miscarriages and premature births. Each year, an estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and every day there are in excess of 7,000 stillbirths.

Now Burnum-Johnson's team is exploring the molecular factors that cause one form of infertility. The team is analyzing the normal signaling or "crosstalk" that takes place between uterine cells and the embryonic structure called a blastocyst that will ultimately give rise to baby and placenta. The team is using a sophisticated form of mass spectrometry imaging to identify which lipids are at play when the blastocyst does not implant properly - one of the most common causes of a failure to conceive.

The mass spectrometry measurements were done at EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a D.O.E. Office of Science user facility located at PNNL. More information about the study is accessible in this PNNL article.

Tags: Fundamental Science, EMSL, Biology, Health Science, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Mass Spectrometry and Separations

EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab, is a D.O.E. Office of Science User Facility. Located at Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Wash., EMSL offers an open, collaborative environment for scientific discovery to researchers around the world. Its integrated computational and experimental resources enable researchers to realize important scientific insights and create new technologies. Follow EMSL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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