Myostatin Is a Human Placental Product That Regulates Glucose Uptake
Abstract
CONTEXT: Myostatin is a member of the TGF-beta superfamily and is primarily known for its ability to inhibit muscle growth. It also has actions on glucose metabolism. We hypothesized that it may act as a paracrine regulator of glucose uptake in the placenta, potentially contributing to fetal and placental growth. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine whether myostatin is present in and formed by the human placenta and to evaluate its effects on glucose uptake. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Myostatin protein and mRNA were measured using Western immunoblotting and real-time PCR, respectively. Glucose uptake was assessed by uptake of radiolabeled deoxyglucose in vitro. Placental tissues were obtained at term (n = 8), preterm (n = 8; 24-34 wk), and early in pregnancy (n = 6; 9-13 wk). RESULTS: Human placentas were shown to express myostatin protein, with a significantly lower expression in term samples compared with samples collected in preterm samples. Human placentas express myostatin mRNA throughout gestation, which does not change. Myostatin treatment of human term placental explants resulted in an increase in deoxyglucose uptake compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Myostatin is synthesized, released, and acts within the human placenta. It contributes to placental glucose homeostasis and may be a therapeutic target in diseases ranging from placental insufficiency to diabetes in pregnancy.
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The explant model enabled the first demonstration of Zika virus infection of the first trimester placenta in vitro and has been used to investigate placental uptake of glucose, amino acids, and exosomes.
“The explant model enabled the first demonstration of Zika virus infection of the first trimester placenta in vitro (144) and has been used to investigate placental uptake of other substances, including glucose (145), amino acids (146), and exosomes (147).”
From Factors Affecting the FcRn-Mediated Transplacental Transfer of Antibodies and Implications for Vaccination in Pregnancy (2017) · cites this paper as [145]
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Myostatin, a Negative Regulator of Muscle Growth, Functions by Inhibiting Myoblast Proliferation
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Self-citationTranscriptional autoregulation of the bone related CBFA1/RUNX2 gene
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“The explant model enabled the first demonstration of Zika virus infection of the first trimester placenta in vitro (144) and has been used to investigate placental uptake of other substances, including glucose (145), amino acids (146), and exosomes (147).”
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- Authors
- Mitchell, M. D., Osepchook, C. C., Leung, K.-C., McMahon, C. D., & Bass, J. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- AgResearch (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Mitchell, Murray D.
- ORCID
- Mitchell, Murray D.
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 2006-04
- Volume
- 91
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1434-1437
- ISSN
- 0021-972X (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7197
- OpenAlex
- W2128012957
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 5.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ResearchSpace (University of Auckland) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Growth Hormone and Insulin-like Growth Factors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
- Keywords
- myostatin, human placenta, glucose uptake, TGF-beta superfamily, paracrine signaling, preterm placenta, fetal growth, placental insufficiency, diabetes in pregnancy, 2-deoxyglucose uptake
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Deoxyglucose, Female, Glucose, Humans, Placenta, Pregnancy, RNA, Messenger, Blotting, Western, Transforming Growth Factor beta, Paracrine Communication, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Myostatin
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