Researchers identify new target for therapies to treat pretermlabor ThePhySoc
Researchers have identified a cause of preterm labor, an enigma that has long challenged researchers. New research published insuggests that a protein called Piezo1 is responsible for regulating the behavior of the uterus. Piezo1 keeps the uterus relaxed, ensuring that it continues to stretch and expand during the 40 weeks it takes a fetus to grow.
The muscular outer layer of the uterus is peculiar because it is the only muscle that it is not regulated by nerves, and it must remain dormant for the 40 weeks despite significant expansion and stretch as the fetus develops into a baby.
Piezo1 controls the uterus by working in a dose-dependent manner, upregulated by the chemical Yoda1 and downregulated by a chemical called Dooku1. When Piezo1 is upregulated, the uterus remains in a relaxed state. However, in preterm tissue, the expression of Piezo1 is significantly decreased , which"switches off" the dormant signaling to the muscle, so the uterus contracts and initiates labor.