Project description:Uterine stretch is thought to induce preterm labor in women with twin and higher order pregnancies, but the pathophysiology remains unclear. We investigated the pathogenesis of stretch-induced preterm birth for the first time in a pregnant nonhuman primate model. Eleven chronically catheterized pregnant monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) at 118-125 days gestation (term=172 days) received either: 1) inflation of intra-amniotic balloons (N=6) or 2) saline inoculation (N=5). Cesarean section and fetal necropsy was performed due to preterm labor or to collect tissues, except in one case where the animal delivered spontaneously, reducing samples for microarray analysis to ten (five stretch and five control animals). Amniotic fluid and maternal plasma were analyzed for multiple cytokines and prostaglandins using Luminex, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Analysis of Covariance. Ribonucleic acid was extracted from the myometrium in the lower uterus at Cesarean section and analyzed by microarray and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.
Project description:Fetal sepsis in utero induces disruption of gene networks involved in cardiac morphogenesis in a nonhuman primate model of infection-induced preterm labor
Project description:Intrauterine exposure to amniotic fluid (AF) cytokines is thought to predispose to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We evaluated the effects of GBS exposure on RNA expression in fetal lung tissue to determine early molecular pathways associated with fetal lung injury that may progress to BPD. Ten chronically catheterized pregnant monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) at 118-125 days gestation (term=172 days) received choriodecidual inoculation of either: 1) Group B Streptococcus (n=5) or 2) saline (n=5). Cesarean section and fetal necropsy was performed in the first week after GBS or saline inoculation regardless of labor. RNA was extracted from fetal lungs and profiled by microarray. Results were analyzed using single gene, Gene Set, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Validation was by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.
Project description:Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Microbial infection and inflammation of the amniotic cavity are associated with the majority of early preterm births and thought to arise from ascension of bacteria from the lower genital tract. Group B Streptococci (GBS) are beta-hemolytic, gram-positive bacteria, which commonly colonize the vagina and have been recovered from the amniotic fluid in cases of preterm birth. Host immune defenses that are critical for prevention of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and preterm labor are not completely understood. We recently showed that increased expression of the hemolytic pigment promotes GBS penetration of human placenta ex vivo and hyperhemolytic/hyperpigmented GBS strains with mutations in the hemolysin repressor (CovR/CovS) can be isolated from women in preterm labor. To understand placental/ choriodecidual immune responses that are necessary to prevent MIAC and preterm labor, we utilized a unique chronically catheterized nonhuman primate model that closely emulates human pregnancy. We observed that preterm labor, MIAC, and fetal injury occurred significantly more frequently in pregnant nonhuman primates infected with hyperpigmented GBS (ΔcovR) despite the strong induction of proinflammatory responses in the chorioamnion. Placental histopathology revealed a systematic progression in development of chorioamnionitis in GBSΔcovR animals beginning with chorionic vasculitis and subsequently progressing to neutrophilic infiltration in the chorioamnion.
Project description:Intrauterine exposure to amniotic fluid (AF) cytokines is thought to predispose to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We evaluated the effects of GBS exposure on RNA expression in fetal lung tissue to determine early molecular pathways associated with fetal lung injury that may progress to BPD.
Project description:Aging is a major risk factor for various forms of disease. An enhanced understanding of the physiological mechanisms related to aging is urgently needed. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) have the closest genetic relationship to humans, making them an ideal model to explore the complicated aging process. Multiomics analysis of NHP peripheral blood offers a promising approach to evaluate new therapies and biomarkers. Here, we explored the mechanisms of aging using proteomics (serum and serum-derived exosomes [SDEs]) in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) blood.
Project description:Large-scale downregulation of cytokeratins in amniotic epithelium after Group B Streptococcus choriodecidual infection in Macaca nemestrina: a pathway to PPROM
Project description:Aging is a major risk factor for various forms of disease. An enhanced understanding of the physiological mechanisms related to aging is urgently needed. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) have the closest genetic relationship to humans, making them an ideal model to explore the complicated aging process. Multiomics analysis of NHP peripheral blood offers a promising approach to evaluate new therapies and biomarkers. Here, we explored the mechanisms of aging using proteomics (serum) in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) blood.