Project description:Preterm birth (PTB) is one of major causes of perinatal mortality and neonatal morbidity, but knowledge of its complex etiology is still limited. Here we present cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) protein profiles of pregnant women who subsequently delivered at spontaneous preterm or term, aiming to identify differentially expressed CVF proteins in PTB and term birth. The CVF proteome of women who sequentially delivered at preterm and term was analyzed using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) coupled with two-dimensional nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (2D-nLC-MS/MS). We compared the CVF proteome of PTB (n=5) and control subjects (term birth, n=7) using pooled control CVF (term birth, n=20) as spike-in standard. We identified 1294 CVF proteins, of which 605 were newly identified proteins. Of 990 proteins quantified in both PTB and term birth, 52 proteins were significantly up/down-regulated in PTB compared to term birth. The differentially expressed proteins were functionally associated to immune response, endopeptidase inhibitors and structural constituent of cytoskeleton. Taken together, our study provide quantitative CVF proteome profiles of pregnant women who ultimately delivered at preterm and term. These promising results could help to improve the understanding of PTB etiology and to discover biomarkers for asymptomatic PTB.
Project description:Black women have highest risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) than other race, and placental insufficiency is implicated in SPTB. We performed RNA-seq study in male and female placentas from White and Black women (self-identified) with early SPTB (< 32 weeks gestation) compared to normal pregnancies (≥ 38 weeks gestation) to assess the alterations in gene expression profiles as well as ancestry and fetal sex differences. The mid-trimester placentas (19-23 weeks gestation) were used as gestational controls.
Project description:Preterm birth, defined as birth <37 weeks of gestation, is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. In the United States, approximately 12% of all births are preterm.1 Despite decades of research, there has been little progress in developing effective interventions to prevent preterm birth. In fact, the rate of preterm birth has increased slightly over the last several decades.2 The ultimate goal of the Genomic and Proteomic Network for Preterm Birth Research (GPN-PBR) is to identify possible biomarkers that could predict the susceptibility to spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) as well as to shed light on the molecular mechanisms involved in its etiologies. Understanding those mechanisms will help us predict SPTB and may facilitate the introduction of more effective prevention and treatment strategies.
Project description:To investigate maternal whole blood gene expression profiles associated with spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB, <37 weeks) in asymptomatic pregnant women. The ‘All Our Babies’ (AOB) community based cohort in Calgary recruited pregnant women between May 2008 and December 2010.
Project description:Threatened preterm labour (TPTL) is the most common condition that requires hospitalisation during pregnancy. Most of these symptomatic women continue their pregnancies to term while only an estimated 5% will deliver a premature baby within ten days. Peripheral blood leukocytes are exposed to “activating signals” from reproductive tissues and may indicate the impending onset of labour. Objectives: 1) To investigate differential leukocyte gene expression in women with TPTL; and 2) to develop a gene signature to predict preterm birth (PTB) within 48 hours in symptomatic women. Design, Setting and Participants: Women clinically diagnosed with TPTL were recruited. Peripheral blood was obtained at point of admission prior to medical treatments. mRNA was extracted and microarrays (Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0) were utilised to determine differential gene expressions between women who did (n=48) and did not (n=106) have a preterm delivery within 48 hours of hospital admission. Results: There were 394 significantly differentially expressed genes (FDR<0.05, Limma); 22 out of 30 genes chosen for qRT-PCR validation were differentially expressed (p<0.05). Total 154; 48 delivered within 48 hours of hospital admission; 106 did not deliver within 48 hours
Project description:The Subgingival Microbiome in Non-Hispanic Black Women: Relationship to Periodontal Inflammation, Systemic Inflammation, and Preterm Birth
Project description:Peripheral whole blood transcriptome profiles of pregnant women with normal pregnancy and spontaneous preterm birth from 10-18 weeks of gestational age enrolled in the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART).