GDF15, a hormone acting on the brainstem, has been implicated in the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, including its most severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), but a full mechanistic understanding is lacking. Here the authors report that fetal production of GDF15 and maternal sensitivity to it both contribute substantially to the risk of HG.
References
Lockhart, S. M., Saudek, V. & O’Rahilly, S. GDF15: a hormone conveying somatic distress to the brain. Endocr. Rev. 41, bnaa007 (2020).
Fejzo, M. S. et al. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum. Nat. Rev. Dis. Primers 5, 62 (2019)
Fejzo, M. S. et al. Placenta and appetite genes GDF15 and IGFBP7 are associated with hyperemesis gravidarum. Nat. Commun. 9, 1178 (2018).
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