Background: Reports of placental mRNA sequences in the plasma of pregnant women suggest that the placenta is the predominant source of cell-free fetal nucleic acids in maternal plasma during pregnancy. We developed an assay for gamma-globin mRNA concentrations to determine whether hematopoietic cells also contribute to the pool of fetal mRNA in maternal plasma.
Methods: Frozen paired plasma samples obtained from 40 women before and within 20 min after elective first-trimester termination of pregnancy (TOP) were analyzed. Fresh plasma samples from eight nonpregnant individuals were included as controls. Plasma gamma-globin mRNA was measured by use of real-time reverse transcription-PCR and analyzed with gestational age. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA was used to confirm the presence of cell-free RNA in each sample.
Results: gamma-Globin and GAPDH mRNA sequences were detected in every plasma sample. The concentrations of both messages were significantly increased in pregnancy (P <0.01). The concentrations of gamma-globin mRNA were decreased in most women after TOP, but gamma-globin mRNA was increased in some patients when TOP was performed later than 9 weeks of gestation.
Conclusions: gamma-Globin mRNA sequences can be detected and measured in fresh and frozen plasma samples. Plasma gamma-globin and GAPDH mRNA concentrations are affected by pregnancy. The increased posttermination gamma-globin mRNA concentrations seen in some patients suggest that the source of this message is fetal hematopoietic cells. Further study in pregnant women after 9 weeks of gestation is necessary to evaluate the potential of gamma-globin mRNA as a marker for fetomaternal hemorrhage.