Application of single-cell RNA sequencing in preeclampsia

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Genomics
• Immunology

Background:

• Preeclampsia (PE) is a major global cause of maternal and perinatal complications.
• Current understanding of PE pathogenesis, despite the two-stage model, lacks detailed cellular and molecular insights.
• The maternal-fetal interface is critical in PE, but its cellular complexity is challenging to resolve.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review how single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) advances understanding of PE pathogenesis.
• To highlight scRNA-seq findings on placental and immune cell alterations in PE.
• To explore the translational potential of scRNA-seq for PE prediction, diagnosis, and therapy.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature utilizing scRNA-seq in PE research.
• Comparison of scRNA-seq with bulk sequencing for resolving cellular heterogeneity.
• Analysis of scRNA-seq data from normal and PE placentas and decidua.

Main Results:

• scRNA-seq identified impaired trophoblast differentiation, invasion, and senescence in PE placentas.
• Novel regulatory molecules (e.g., BHLHE40, NDRG1, DAB2) implicated in PE pathogenesis were discovered.
• Immune dysregulation, including altered NK cells and macrophage polarization, and disrupted immune tolerance (e.g., HLA-F, JUNB) were revealed.

Conclusions:

• scRNA-seq provides unprecedented resolution into PE's cellular and molecular complexity.
• This technology can identify novel biomarkers and inform predictive models for PE.
• scRNA-seq holds significant promise for precision medicine approaches to PE management.