Study identifies gene protecting the maternal heart during pregnancy

Scientists at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation have identified a previously unknown molecular safeguard that protects the heart during pregnancy, shedding new light on the causes of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare and life-threatening form of pregnancy-related heart failure. 

In a study published in Nature Communications, Michelle L. Matter, PhD, and her team reveal that the gene PTRH2 plays a critical role in helping the maternal heart adapt to pregnancy-induced stress. 

This work identifies a previously unrecognized molecular safeguard in the heart. Understanding how the heart normally responds to pregnancy-induced stresses brings us closer to developing targeted treatments for women who develop PPCM." 

Michelle L. Matter, PhD

Using advanced mouse models, the researchers showed that loss of PTRH2 leads to severe postpartum heart failure. "During pregnancy, the heart increases in size to account for increased blood flow-but without PTRH2, the heart doesn't return to normal," explained Pooja Choubey, PhD, co-first author and postdoctoral fellow in The Matter Lab. "That kind of enlargement can be extremely dangerous and, in many cases, fatal." 

The findings point to new therapeutic possibilities and underscore the urgent need for better treatments. "We're opening the door for innovation," Choubey added. "This isn't just about the disease-it's about the mothers who are affected."