title: A Role for the Inflammasome in Spontaneous Labor at Term.
abstract: Inflammasomes are signaling platforms that, upon sensing pathogens and sterile stressors, mediate the release of mature forms of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18. The aims of this study were to determine (i) the expression of major inflammasome components in the chorioamniotic membranes in spontaneous labor at term, (ii) whether there are changes in the inflammasome components associated with the activation of caspase-1 and caspase-4, and (iii) whether these events are associated with the release of the mature forms of IL-1β and IL-18.
  
  
  
  Chorioamniotic membranes were collected from women at term with and without spontaneous labor. mRNA abundance and protein concentrations of inflammasome components, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing (NOD)1 and NOD2 proteins, caspase-1, caspase-4, IL-1β, and IL-18 were quantified by qRT-PCR (n = 28-29 each), ELISA (n = 10 each) or immunoblotting (n = 8 each), and immunohistochemistry (n = 10 each). Active caspase-1 and caspase-4, as well as mature IL-18, were determined by immunoblotting (n = 4 each), and pro- and mature forms of IL-1β were determined by ELISA (n = 4-7 each).
  
  
  
  Inflammasome components and NOD proteins were expressed in the chorioamniotic membranes obtained from women at term. The chorioamniotic membranes from women who underwent labor had (i) higher concentrations of NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing protein 3) and NOD1 protein, (ii) greater immunoreactivity for caspase-1 and caspase-4, (iii) a greater quantity of the active form of caspase-1 (p20), and (iv) higher mRNA abundance and protein concentrations of pro- and mature IL-1β. However, mRNA abundance and protein concentrations of the mature form of IL-18 were not increased in tissues from women who underwent labor at term.
  
  
  
  Spontaneous labor at term is characterized by the expression of inflammasome components, which may participate in the activation of caspase-1 and lead to the cleavage and release of mature IL-1β by the chorioamniotic membranes. These results support the participation of the inflammasome in the mechanisms responsible for spontaneous parturition at term.
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, 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.|Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Olesya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Plazyo
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Piya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chaemsaithong
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Tinnakorn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chaiworapongsa
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Unkel
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Institute of Enzymology, Momentum Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.|Maternity Private Department, Kutvolgyi Clinical Block, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.|First Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Nandor Gabor
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Than
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Po Jen
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Zhonghui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Adi L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Tarca
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Vikki M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Abrahams
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Sonia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Lami
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.|Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Nardhy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gomez-Lopez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000650:Amnion / Q000378:metabolism; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000378:metabolism; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071199:NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D053474:Nod1 Signaling Adaptor Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D058847:Inflammasomes; D020382:Interleukin-18; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D000071199:NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; D053474:Nod1 Signaling Adaptor Protein; D020170:Caspase 1
keywords: IL-1β; NLRP3; caspase-1; chorioamniotic membranes; parturition; sterile inflammation