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MicroRNAs mediate an early birth 10300300052 彭佳君 Researchers uncover the molecular process that triggers contractions during labour. Joseph Milton Drugs that target a molecular trigger for labour could help to prevent premature births.Punchstock The molecular changes that trigger the uterus to start contracting at the beginning of childbirth have been worked out in detail. The research could eventually help the design of therapies to prevent premature birth, a significant cause of infant mortality and disability in developed countries. There are few effective treatments to block early labour, perhaps in part because the molecular mechanism that underlies the onset of contractions has remained elusive — until now. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, led by biochemist Carole Mendelson, analysed the changes in the expression of different genes in the mouse uterus wall when contractions begin. The hormone progesterone is known to have an important role in inducing labour in both mice and humans. In mice, the level of progesterone remains high during pregnancy and as it falls, contractions begin. However, in pregnant women, the levels of progesterone remain the same and instead, the sensitivity of progesterone receptors decreases — a change that effectively means the level of circulating progesterone drops, thus causing contractions to start. In both species, the drop in progesterone leads to changes in the expression of tiny fragments of RNA, called microRNAs (miRNAs). Mendelson and her team have now found that the levels of one group of miRNAs, called the miR-200 family, increase significantly during late pregnancy and in labour. Double feedback Looking at gene expression levels in samples of mouse uterus, the team uncovered a complex interaction between these miRNAs and two genes called ZEB1 and ZEB2. The two genes are sensitive to progesterone so are active during pregnancy, when levels of the hormone are high. Both the ZEB