The Androgen Receptor Is a Key Component of Myometrium Phenotype Programming During Pregnancy

Abstract

The economic burden associated with preterm birth is significant to our society. While research efforts on preterm birth over past decades had been directed toward understanding the late stage of parturition, recent discoveries have indicated that the timing of labour is delicately programmed as early as the initiation of pregnancy. We have proposed that there exists a myometrium phenotype programming during pregnancy consisting three characteristic stages referred to as the early proliferative, the midterm hypertrophic and the late contractile stages. This remarkable plasticity of myometrium allows it not only provides containment for fetus to be fully developed within the womb during pregnancy, but also performs coordinate contractions at the onset of labor to expel the fetus into extrauterine environment. Our two recent studies further demonstrate that the androgen receptor is a key component of myometrium phenotype programming. Here we summarize our endeavor in characterizing the androgen receptor signaling in myometrial smooth muscle cells.