1.Gene expression in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome: a systematic review
Muhammad Aliff M ; Muhammad Shazwan S ; Nur Fariha MM ; Hayati AR ; Nur Syahrina AR ; Maizatul Azma M ; Nazefah AH ; Jameela S ; Asral Wirda AA
The Malaysian Journal of Pathology 2016;38(3):285-294
Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a multisystem disease that may present as venous or
arterial thrombosis and/or pregnancy complications with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies.
Until today, heterogeneity of pathogenic mechanism fits well with various clinical manifestations.
Moreover, previous studies have indicated that genes are differentially expressed between normal
and in the disease state. Hence, this study systematically searched the literature on human gene
expression that was differentially expressed in Obstetric APS. Methodology: Electronic search was
performed until 31st March 2015 through PubMed and Embase databases; where the following
Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms were used and they had been specified as the primary focus
of the articles; gene, antiphospholipid, obstetric, and pregnancy in the title or abstract. From 502
studies retrieved from the search, only original publications that had performed gene expression
analyses of human placental tissue that reported on differentially expressed gene in pregnancies with
Obstetric APS were included. Two reviewers independently scrutinized the titles and the abstracts
before examining the eligibility of studies that met the inclusion criteria. For each study; diagnostic
criteria for APS, method for analysis, and the gene signature were extracted independently by
two reviewers. The genes listed were further analysed with the DAVID and the KEGG pathways.
Results: Three eligible gene expression studies involving obstetric APS, comprising the datasets
on gene expression, were identified. All three studies showed a reduction in transcript expression
on PRL, STAT5, TF, DAF, ABCA1, and HBEGF in Obstetric APS. The high enrichment score for
functionality in DAVID had been positive regulation of cell proliferation. Meanwhile, pertaining
to the KEGG pathway, two pathways were associated with some of the listed genes, which were
ErBb signalling pathway and JAK-STAT signalling pathway. Conclusion: Ultimately, studies on a
genetic level have the potential to provide new insights into the regulation and to widen the basis
for identification of changes in the mechanism of Obstetric APS.