Evidence for independent evolution of functional progesterone withdrawal in primates and guinea pigs.
OBJECTIVE
Cervix remodeling (CRM) is a critical process in preparation for parturition. Early cervix shortening is a powerful clinical predictor of preterm birth, and thus understanding how CRM is regulated is important for the prevention of prematurity. Humans and other primates differ from most other mammals by the maintenance of high levels of systemic progesterone concentrations. Humans have been hypothesized to perform functional progesterone withdrawal (FPW). Guinea pigs are similar to humans in maintaining high-progesterone concentrations through parturition, thus making them a prime model for studying CRM. Here, we analyze the phylogenetic history of FPW and document gene expression in the guinea pig uterine cervix.


METHODS
Data on progesterone withdrawal were collected from the literature, and character evolution was analyzed. Uterine cervix samples were collected from non-pregnant, mid-pregnant and late pregnant guinea pigs. RNA was extracted and sequenced. Relative transcript levels were estimated and compared among sample groups.


RESULTS
The phylogenetic analysis shows that FPW evolved independently in primates and guinea pigs. The transcriptome data confirms that guinea pigs down-regulate progesterone receptor toward parturition, in contrast to humans. Some of the similarities between human and guinea pig are: down-regulation of estrogen receptor, up-regulation of VCAN and IGFBP4 as well as likely involvement of prostaglandins.


CONCLUSIONS
(i) FPW in guinea pigs evolved independently from that in primates. (ii) A small set of conserved gene regulatory changes has been detected.
Yale Systems Biology Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
Mauris C
MC
Nnamani
Silvia
S
Plaza
Roberto
R
Romero
Günter P
GP
Wagner
evolution of parturition; functional progesterone withdrawal; gene expression; guinea pig cervix