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Connexin 43 is overexpressed in human fetal membrane defects after fetoscopic surgery

Barrett, DW; David, AL; Thrasivoulou, C; Mata, A; Becker, DL; Engels, AC; Deprest, JA; (2016) Connexin 43 is overexpressed in human fetal membrane defects after fetoscopic surgery. Prenatal Diagnosis , 36 (10) pp. 942-952. 10.1002/pd.4917. Green open access

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We examined whether surgically induced membrane defects elevate connexin 43 (Cx43) expression in the wound edge of the amniotic membrane (AM) and drives structural changes in collagen that affects healing after fetoscopic surgery. METHOD: Cell morphology and collagen microstructure was investigated by SEM and SHG in fetal membranes taken from women who underwent fetal surgery. IMF and RT-qPCR was used to examine Cx43 expression in control and wound edge AM. RESULTS: SEM showed dense, helical patterns of collagen fibrils in the wound edge of the fetal membrane. This arrangement changed in the fibroblast layer with evidence of collagen fibrils that were highly polarised along the wound edge but not in control membranes. Cx43 was increased by 112.9% in wound edge AM compared to controls (p < 0.001), with preferential distribution in the fibroblast layer compared to the epithelial layer (p < 0.01). In wound edge AM, mesenchymal cells had a flattened morphology and there was evidence of poor epithelial migration across the defect. Cx43 and COX-2 expression was significantly increased in wound edge AM compared to controls (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Overexpression of Cx43 in the AM after fetal surgery induces morphological and structural changes in the collagenous matrix that may interfere with normal healing mechanisms.

Type: Article
Title: Connexin 43 is overexpressed in human fetal membrane defects after fetoscopic surgery
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/pd.4917
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1002/pd.4917
Language: English
Additional information: © 2016 The Authors. Prenatal Diagnosis published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Cell and Developmental Biology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL EGA Institute for Womens Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL EGA Institute for Womens Health > Maternal and Fetal Medicine
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1514917
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