Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 23, 2026
12:17
The 4-vessel Sampling Approach to Integrative Studies of Human Placental Physiology In Vivo
Published on: August 2, 2017
11.3K
Endoplasmic reticulum stress responses in placentation - A true balancing act
Daniel Bastida-Ruiz1, Elizabeth Aguilar1, Agnès Ditisheim2
1Department of Gynecology Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Rue Michel-Servet 1, Geneva 1211, Switzerland.
Placenta
|September 3, 2017
Summary
The unfolded protein response (UPR) is vital for mammalian reproduction, aiding placental development. However, overactivation of UPR due to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) can harm pregnancy outcomes, leading to pathologies.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Reproductive Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular mechanism essential for protein folding in eukaryotes.
- ERS can be induced by conditions like hypoxia and glucose deprivation.
- UPR activation is increasingly recognized for its critical role in mammalian reproduction, specifically in decidualization and placentation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the dual role of UPR activation in placental development and pregnancy pathologies.
- To discuss the consequences of prolonged ERS and UPR overactivation during pregnancy.
- To identify potential clinical biomarkers associated with UPR in pregnancy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing current research on UPR, ERS, and reproductive outcomes.
- Analysis of studies investigating the physiological and pathological roles of UPR in placentation.
- Identification and discussion of potential circulating protein markers for UPR.
Main Results:
- Physiological UPR activation is essential for successful mammalian reproduction and placental function.
- Prolonged ERS and subsequent UPR overactivation can lead to apoptosis and autophagy, negatively impacting pregnancy.
- ERS-associated pathologies include intrauterine growth restriction and early-onset preeclampsia.
- Circulating C-terminal GRP78 and anti-GRP78 autoantibodies are proposed as potential clinical markers.
Conclusions:
- UPR plays a critical, yet complex, role in mammalian reproduction, balancing placental development with the risks of overactivation.
- Dysregulation of UPR contributes to significant pregnancy complications.
- Further investigation into UPR biomarkers like GRP78 may offer clinical utility for monitoring pregnancy health.
Keywords:
Endoplasmic reticulum stressIntrauterine growth restrictionPlacenta developmentPreeclampsiaUnfolded protein responseMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:17Role of ER in the Secretory Pathway
7.5K
Eukaryotic cells have a special pathway that enables communication between various intracellular membrane-bound compartments and also with the extracellular environment. This pathway is termed as the secretory pathway.
Components of the secretory pathway
About a third of proteins synthesized in the cell are sorted via the secretory route. They shuffle between different compartments in membrane-bound vesicles until they reach their final destination. The main intracellular compartments involved...
Components of the secretory pathway
About a third of proteins synthesized in the cell are sorted via the secretory route. They shuffle between different compartments in membrane-bound vesicles until they reach their final destination. The main intracellular compartments involved...
7.5K
01:31Regulation of the Unfolded Protein Response
3.1K
Inositol-requiring kinase one or IRE1 is the most conserved eukaryotic unfolded protein response (UPR) receptor. It is a type I transmembrane protein kinase receptor with a distinctive site-specific RNase activity. As the binding mechanics of the misfolded proteins with the N-terminal domain of IRE-1 are unclear, three binding models — direct, indirect, and allosteric -- are proposed for receptor activation. Nevertheless, it is known that once a misfolded protein associates with IRE1, it...
3.1K
01:37The Unfolded Protein Response
6.6K
The ER is the hub of protein synthesis in a cell. It has robust systems to quality control protein folding and also for degradation of terminally misfolded proteins. Under normal conditions, a small proportion of misfolded proteins that cannot be salvaged need to be transported to the cytoplasm by the ER-associated degradation or ERAD pathways. However, if the ERAD cannot handle the misfolded proteins, the cell activates the unfolded protein response or UPR to adjust the protein folding...
6.6K
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
15.0K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
15.0K
01:30Other Stress Responses in Bacteria
457
Bacteria have global regulatory systems that control several types of stress mechanisms. These include Pho regulon and the heat shock response, which are essential systems for environmental adaptation, such as nutrient limitation and proteotoxic stress. The Pho regulon and the heat shock response exemplify bacterial resilience, enabling rapid adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions.Pho RegulonBacteria require phosphorus for essential cellular processes, including nucleic acid...
457
01:23Stringent Response in E. coli
414
Bacterial growth is closely tied to nutrient availability, with cells proliferating exponentially under favorable conditions and entering a stationary phase when resources become scarce. This transition is mediated by a regulatory mechanism known as the stringent response, which allows bacteria to adapt to nutrient deprivation by modulating gene expression and metabolic activity.During nutrient scarcity, intracellular amino acid levels decline. It results in the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs...
414