Glucocorticoid signaling drives epigenetic and transcription factors to induce key regulators of human parturition.
Glucocorticoids are thought to play an important role in parturition. Two recent articles by Di Stefano et al. in the Archives and Wang et al. in this issue of Science Signaling reveal novel mechanisms by which glucocorticoid signaling can drive the epigenetic and transcriptional machinery to induce molecules involved in parturition, including the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and the autacoid hormone prostaglandin E2. These findings contribute to our understanding of how glucocorticoids may regulate human parturition.
Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Anthony S
AS
Zannas
First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens 115 28, Greece. chrousge@med.uoa.gr.
George P
GP
Chrousos
D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D036801:Parturition / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D014157:Transcription Factors