Targeted Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics Method to Quantify Placental Extracellular Vesicles.

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Biochemistry
• Molecular biology

Background:

• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are crucial intercellular communicators, carrying proteins, RNA, and DNA.
• Placental EVs appear in maternal circulation early in gestation and increase with gestational age.
• Quantifying placental EVs in maternal blood is essential for understanding pregnancy but has been a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a method for quantifying placental EVs in maternal circulation.
• To utilize placental-type alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) as a specific marker for placental EVs.
• To overcome previous limitations in tracking placental EV dynamics during pregnancy.

Main Methods:

• Development of a targeted proteomics workflow.
• Selection of specific peptides derived from the PLAP protein for quantification.
• Application of the method to maternal circulation samples.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the presence of PLAP EVs specifically in pregnant women's blood.
• Established a quantifiable workflow for placental EVs using PLAP as a marker.
• Provided a means to measure placental EV concentration in maternal circulation.

Conclusions:

• Placental-type alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) is a reliable marker for identifying placental EVs in maternal blood.
• The described targeted proteomics approach enables the quantification of placental EVs.
• This methodology opens new avenues for studying normal and complicated pregnancies through EV analysis.