Expression of p57kip2 Gene in Placenta Tissue of Patients with Pre-eclampsia

Objective To investigate the difference of p57^kip2 gene expression in placenta tissue between normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. Methods The placenta tissues were collected from 37 cases of severe pre-eclampsia, 22 cases of mild pre-eclampsia and 53 cases of normal pregnancy. The localization of p57^kip2 protein in placenta was studied by immunohistochemistry SP method. The mRNA and protein expression levels of p57^kip2 gene were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Results Immunohistochemistry result showed that p57^kip2 protein was selectively expressed in the nucleus of placental trophoblast cells. The mRNA and protein expression levels of p57^kip2 in severe pre-eclampsia were significantly lower than those in mild pre-eclampsia 〔P <0.05，mRNA 95%CI ：（－0.736 9，－0.095 8）, protein 95%CI ：（－1.441 7，－0.162 4)〕. Conclusion The expression of p57^kip2 gene in placental tissue may be involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.