Researchers have identified a genetic factor that can help predict whether a woman will suffer a risky pregnancy.
The scientists found that an abnormal combination of proteins produced by a mother and her developing fetus can increase the risk of preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy.
Preeclampsia develops when the cells responsible for routing blood and nutrients to the placenta can’t do their job. The result is decreased blood flow to the fetus, a situation that threatens both mother and developing child.
The fetal cells responsible for that task, called trophoblast cells, perform that job by communicating with maternal immune cells known as natural ki ller (NK) cells. The NK cells then follow the trophoblasts’ orders, shaping blood flow to match the needs of the fetus.
But doctors found that a particular type of protein on the trophoblast combined with its receptor on NK cells can cause a false signal that suppresses the NK cells, potentially causing preeclampsia.