Affiliations: Chair of Preventive and Social Pediatrics, University
of Rome Tor Vergata, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy | Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of
Rome La Sapienza, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy | Chair of Morbid Anatomy, University of Rome Tor
Vergata, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy | Department of Pediatrics, Local Sanitary Unit Penne,
Penne, Italy | Department of MCA Biology, University of Camerino,
School of Science, Camerino, Italy
Note: [] Correspondence: Egidio Bottini M.D., Università di Roma
Tor Vergata, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Diagnostica per Immagini, Via della
Ricerca Scientifica, snc 00133 Roma, Italy, Fax: +39 6 72596028; E-mail:
bottini@med.uniroma2.it
Abstract: Intracellular kinases mediate positive signalling from surface
receptors by phosphorylating critical target proteins whereas phosphatases
inhibit this process. Differential phosphatase activity at the feto-maternal
interface could determine the appropriate relative growth and development on
each side of the placenta. The highly polymorphic cytosolic low molecular
weight phosphotyrosine-phosphatase (ACP1-cLMWPTPase) has been studied in 170
women who had at least two consecutive spontaneous abortions along with their
husbands and in 352 normal puerperae along with their newborn babies. Symmetry
analysis of joint wife/husband and mother/infant distribution suggests that
when ACP1 activity is lower in the mother than in either her aborted fetus or
her child, the probability of abortion is higher and the survival to term is
lower as compared to pairs in which the ACP1 activity is higher in the mother
than in her fetus. Further analysis has shown that the effect is due to
S isoform: i.e. a high mother/fetus S isoform ratio favours
intrauterine survival. Analysis of gestational duration and birth weight
suggests that a high ACP1 maternal activity coupled with a low or moderate
fetal activity favour fetal growth and developmental maturation. The present
data indicate that maternal-fetal genetic differences in signal transduction
could contribute significantly to variability of intrauterine developmental
parameters and to pathological manifestation of pregnancy.
Keywords: signal transduction, maternal-fetal relationship, ACP1, cLMW PTPase
