WIKIMEDIA, SEWERYN OLKOWICZWhile studying the role of Elabela (Ela), a recently discovered micropeptide present in mammals and fish, scientists have discovered that the protein protects pregnant mice from proteinuria and hypertension—two hallmarks of preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related condition, in humans. Reporting their findings in Science today (June 29), the researchers also reveal that treating the preeclamptic mice with a synthetic version of Ela resolved the animals’ symptoms.
“As a researcher working in this field, the model developed by [the authors] represents an exciting new avenue towards the understanding of the complex pathophysiology of preeclampsia,” women’s health researcher Guillermina Girardi of King’s College London writes in an email to The Scientist. “I am particularly enthusiastic about this model as it demonstrates most of the clinical features found in human preeclampsia,” she adds.
Preeclampsia, characterized by high levels of protein in the urine and increased blood pressure, affects somewhere between five percent and eight percent of pregnant women and is a leading cause of maternal and fetal death or severe illness.
Developmental biologist Bruno Reversade of the Institute of Medical Biology in Singapore did not set out to study preeclampsia, he says. Instead, his ...
