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[Preprint]. 2023 Jun 4:2023.06.02.542661. [Version 1] doi: 10.1101/2023.06.02.542661

Figure 2. Circulating GDF15 in human pregnancy is predominantly of fetal origin.

Figure 2

A: Schema of experimental design. The GDF15 dimer for maternal and fetal GDF15 is extracted and then digested with the endopeptidase GluC, cutting the N-terminal region into two distinct peptides with glutamic acid C-termini. The stoichiometry of the H and D peptides can then be monitored using LC-MS/MS to determine the relative levels of maternal or fetal derived GDF15 in the maternal circulation. B: Representative LC-MS retention time of H and D peptides from maternal plasma where the mother is heterozygous at H202D and the fetus is homozygous for the H or D allele as indicated. C-E: Scatter plots of the relative quantitation of H peptide vs the D peptide in plasma from pregnancies with the indicated genotypes. The dashed coloured lines in (C-E) indicate the expected relationships between the H and D peptides for the given circulatory origins of GDF15. C: N=20 samples from 5 pregnancies, D: N=8 samples from 2 pregnancies, E: N = 47 samples from 12 pregnancies.