Cecilia Burkhardt
Figure 1: Shown in red are uterine fibroblast cells from a mouse uterus.
Preterm births are pregnancies occurring before 37 weeks gestation. Babies born preterm are more suspectable of complication including eyesight, respiratory issues, underdeveloped organs, infections, etc. For a while premature births have been misunderstood, but a growing concern. A study from UC San Francisco aimed to answer the unanswered question and identified a “molecular timer” that is key to understanding why preterm births occur.
A protein known as KDM6B was discovered through research in … and its function proved to act as a regulator of activity within genes in the uterus. Significantly, the KDM6B control fibroblasts, structural cells, which was originally believed to have no role previously wit child labor. In the very early days of pregnancy the timer begins ticking and sets a genetic countdown for the stages of pregnancy.
The study consists of research where methyl groups were removed from histones. In the early stages of pregnancy, the methyl groups ensure that the birth genes are maintained, so that the uterus can begin supporting the growing fetus. Throughout the duration of the pregnancy the methyl groups erode, and when the correct level of methyl groups has vanished labor can begin. In the study it was concluded that when the KDM6B protein was manipulated in mice, the quantity of the methyl groups changed and as a result directly manipulated the length of the pregnancy.
These findings hold significance in the field of genetics in relation to healthy pregnancies. Prior to these findings, premature births were thought to occur due to complications weeks before labor, but now it is suggested that the risk of preterm birth might be determined in the earlier stages of gestation. Researchers must continue research to discover if the KDM^B timer exists in humans more research could begin to investigate the protein and assist in genetic screenings in high-risk individuals to determine risk of preterm birth in relation to the KDM6B protein. This could lead to interventions that could allow for full term births to be carried through in high-risk births and lower the risk of complications and potentially result in healthy, full-term births.
Tags: #Genetics #PretermBirth #UCSF #KDM6B #MolecularBiology #HealthScience
Link 1: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/01/429351/whats-behind-preterm-birth-scientists-just-found-big-clue#:~:text=Throughout%20pregnancy%2C%20the%20female%20body,KDM6B%20that%20regulates%20gene%20activity.
Link 2: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/preterm
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