PM2.5 leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes by inducing trophoblast oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptosis via KLF9/CYP1A1 transcriptional axis

  1. Shuxian Li  Is a corresponding author
  2. Lingbing Li
  3. Changqing Zhang
  4. Huaxuan Fu
  5. Shuping Yu
  6. Meijuan Zhou
  7. Junjun Guo
  8. Zhenya Fang
  9. Anna Li
  10. Man Zhao
  11. Meihua Zhang  Is a corresponding author
  12. Xietong Wang
  1. Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, China
  2. Shandong University Cheeloo College of Medicine, China
  3. Jinan Environmental Monitoring Center of Shandong Province, China

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with adverse obstetric and postnatal metabolic health outcomes, but the mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the toxicological pathways by which PM2.5 damaged placental trophoblasts in vivo and in vitro. We confirmed that PM2.5 induced adverse gestational outcomes such as increased fetal mortality rates, decreased fetal number and weight, damaged placental structure, and increased apoptosis of trophoblasts. Additionally, PM2.5 induced dysfunction of the trophoblast cell line HTR8/SVneo, including in its proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration and angiogenesis. Moreover, we comprehensively analyzed the transcriptional landscape of HTR8/SVneo cells exposed to PM2.5 through RNA-Seq and observed that PM2.5 triggered overexpression of pathways involved in oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptosis to damage HTR8/SVneo cell biological functions through CYP1A1. Mechanistically, PM2.5 stimulated KLF9, a transcription factor identified as binding to CYP1A1 promoter region, which further modulated the CYP1A1-driven downstream phenotypes. Together, this study demonstrated that the KLF9/CYP1A1 axis played a crucial role in the toxic progression of PM2.5 induced adverse pregnancy outcomes, suggesting adverse effects of environmental pollution on pregnant females and putative targeted therapeutic strategies.

Data availability

The RNA sequencing data were deposited into the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (accession number: GSE237795)

The following data sets were generated

Article and author information

Author details

  1. Shuxian Li

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
    For correspondence
    lishuxian171124@163.com
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0003-2601-6126
  2. Lingbing Li

    Shandong University Cheeloo College of Medicine, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-0640-8328
  3. Changqing Zhang

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  4. Huaxuan Fu

    Jinan Environmental Monitoring Center of Shandong Province, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  5. Shuping Yu

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  6. Meijuan Zhou

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  7. Junjun Guo

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  8. Zhenya Fang

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  9. Anna Li

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  10. Man Zhao

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  11. Meihua Zhang

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    For correspondence
    meihua2013@163.com
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  12. Xietong Wang

    Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province Affiliated to Qingdao University, jinan, China
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Funding

Scientific Research Project of Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Shandong Province (NO. YJKY2022-024)

  • Shuxian Li

The funders did the experiment and drafted the article in this study d.

Ethics

Animal experimentation: The experimental design is in accordance with the principles of animal protection, experimental animal welfare ethics and other ethical requirements, Applicants are committed to abide by the relevant experimental animal ethics, and accept the supervision and inspection of the Committee at any time. Experiment related personnel qualification and experiment related units are appropriate. Varieties, quality grade and specifications of animals used in experiments are appropriate.Research Ethics Committee approval of Maternal and Child Healthcare Hosnital of Shandong ProvinceApproval Number:2021-116

Human subjects: The qualification and experience of researcher meet the test requirements; the research project is accordance with the scientific and ethical principles; the method of obtaining informed consent is right.The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee approval of Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital of Shandong ProvinceApproval Number:2020-115

Copyright

© 2023, Li et al.

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.

Download links

A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.

Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)

Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)

Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)

  1. Shuxian Li
  2. Lingbing Li
  3. Changqing Zhang
  4. Huaxuan Fu
  5. Shuping Yu
  6. Meijuan Zhou
  7. Junjun Guo
  8. Zhenya Fang
  9. Anna Li
  10. Man Zhao
  11. Meihua Zhang
  12. Xietong Wang
(2023)
PM2.5 leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes by inducing trophoblast oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptosis via KLF9/CYP1A1 transcriptional axis
eLife 12:e85944.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.85944

Share this article

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.85944

Further reading

    1. Cell Biology
    Yan Song, Linda J Fothergill ... Gene W Yeo
    Research Article

    Dynamic interactions between gut mucosal cells and the external environment are essential to maintain gut homeostasis. Enterochromaffin (EC) cells transduce both chemical and mechanical signals and produce 5-hydroxytryptamine to mediate disparate physiological responses. However, the molecular and cellular basis for functional diversity of ECs remains to be adequately defined. Here, we integrated single-cell transcriptomics with spatial image analysis to identify 14 EC clusters that are topographically organized along the gut. Subtypes predicted to be sensitive to the chemical environment and mechanical forces were identified that express distinct transcription factors and hormones. A Piezo2+ population in the distal colon was endowed with a distinctive neuronal signature. Using a combination of genetic, chemogenetic, and pharmacological approaches, we demonstrated Piezo2+ ECs are required for normal colon motility. Our study constructs a molecular map for ECs and offers a framework for deconvoluting EC cells with pleiotropic functions.

    1. Cell Biology
    2. Developmental Biology
    Sarah Y Coomson, Salil A Lachke
    Insight

    A study in mice reveals key interactions between proteins involved in fibroblast growth factor signaling and how they contribute to distinct stages of eye lens development.