Decreased placental expression of pre-adipocyte factor-1 in children born small-for-gestational-age: Association to early postnatal weight gain

BackgroundPreadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) is a key regulator of adipocyte differentiation acting as an inhibitor of adipogenesis; Pref-1 is highly expressed in embryonic tissues and placenta supporting a role in embryonic and fetal growth. The potential impact of placental Pref-1 expression in human pre- and postnatal development is unclear.Objective and hypothesesTo assess the contribution of placental Pref-1 to fetal and postnatal growth.Population and methodsPlacentas (N = 99) were collected at term delivery from singleton infants, who were born either appropriate (AGA; n = 59) or small-for-gestational-age (SGA; n = 40). Auxological data of all subjects were obtained at birth. In a subset of subjects (n = 31) we also obtained weight data at 4 mo and at 1 yr, together with body composition assessment (by DXA) at the age of 1 yr. Placental expression of Pref-1 was quantified by real-time PCR; the housekeeping gene GAPDH was used for comparisons.ResultsPref-1 was significantly downregulated in the placentas from SGA babies as compared to AGA controls (P = 0.005). In SGA infants placental Pref-1 expression associated positively to body weight at 4 and 12 mo (r = 0.44, P = 0.05; r = 0.66, P = 0.001 respectively); at age 12 mo, placental Pref-1 expression was inversely related to total fat mass and positively correlated with total lean mass (r = −0.59, P = 0.01; and r = −0.59, P = 0.01,respectively).ConclusionPlacental Pref-1 expression in SGA fetuses was decreased and associated with postnatal body weight, suggesting a role of Pref-1 in the regulation of postnatal development.