Evidence mapPaperPMID 33997182Full record

ArticleGenes & diseases2021

THBS1 regulates trophoblast fusion through a CD36-dependent inhibition of cAMP, and its upregulation participates in preeclampsia.

Fu-Mei Duan, Li-Juan Fu, Yong-Heng Wang, Enoch Appiah Adu-Gyamfi, Ling-Ling Ruan, Zeng-Wei Xu, Shi-Quan Xiao, Xue-Mei Chen, Ying-Xiong Wang, Tai-Hang Liu and 1 more

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Genes & diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. CD36: bridging metabolism, inflammation, and reproduction.npj metabolic health and disease · 2026
    Review
  2. THBS1: a biomarker for PCOS and its role in pathogenesis via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society · 2026
    Article
  3. Trophoblast Fusion Deficiency in Placenta-Related Pregnancy Disorders.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
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  9. Trophoblast Fusion in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Preeclampsia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Fu-Mei DuanSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Li-Juan FuDepartment of Herbal Medicine, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Yong-Heng WangThe Joint International Research Laboratory of Reproduction and Development, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Enoch Appiah Adu-GyamfiThe Joint International Research Laboratory of Reproduction and Development, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Ling-Ling RuanDepartment of Herbal Medicine, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Zeng-Wei XuSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Shi-Quan XiaoThe Joint International Research Laboratory of Reproduction and Development, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Xue-Mei ChenSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Ying-Xiong WangSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Tai-Hang LiuDepartment of Bioinformatics, The School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Yu-Bin DingSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China.
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China · CNChongqing Medical University · CNChongqing Public Health Medical Center · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication which threatens the survival of mothers and fetuses. It originates from abnormal placentation, especially insufficient fusion of the cytotrophoblast cells to form the syncytiotrophoblast. In this study, we found that THBS1, a matricellular protein that mediates cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions, is downregulated during the fusion of primary cytotrophoblast and BeWo cells, but upregulated in the placenta of pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. Also, THBS1 was observed to interact with CD36, a membrane signal receptor and activator of the cAMP signaling pathway, to regulate the fusion of cytotrophoblast cells. Overexpression of THBS1 inhibited the cAMP signaling pathway and reduced the BeWo cells fusion ratio, while the effects of THBS1 were abolished by a CD36-blocking antibody. Our results suggest that THBS1 signals through a CD36-mediated cAMP pathway to regulate syncytialization of the cytotrophoblast cells, and that its upregulation impairs placental formation to cause preeclampsia. Thus, THBS1 can serve as a therapeutic target regarding the mitigation of abnormal syncytialization and preeclampsia.

Indexed as

cAMPCell fusionPreeclampsiaTHBS1Trophoblast

Identifiers

PMID33997182
PMCPMC8093648
OpenAlexW3034997961

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.