title: Inflammasome assembly in the chorioamniotic membranes during spontaneous labor at term.
abstract: Inflammasome activation requires two steps: priming and assembly of the multimeric complex. The second step includes assembly of the sensor molecule and adaptor protein ASC (an apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD), which results in ASC speck formation and the recruitment of caspase (CASP)-1. Herein, we investigated whether there is inflammasome assembly in the chorioamniotic membranes and choriodecidual leukocytes from women who underwent spontaneous labor at term.
  
  
  
  Using in situ proximity ligation assays, ASC/CASP-1 complexes were determined in the chorioamniotic membranes from women who delivered at term without labor or underwent spontaneous labor at term with or without acute histologic chorioamnionitis (n=10-11 each). Also, ASC speck formation was determined by flow cytometry in the choriodecidual leukocytes isolated from women who delivered at term with or without spontaneous labor (n=9-12 each).
  
  
  
  (i) ASC/CASP-1 complexes were detected in the chorioamniotic membranes; (ii) ASC/CASP-1 complexes were greater in the chorioamniotic membranes from women who underwent spontaneous labor at term than in those without labor; (iii) ASC/CASP-1 complexes were even more abundant in the chorioamniotic membranes from women who underwent spontaneous labor at term with acute histologic chorioamnionitis than in those without this placental lesion; (iv) ASC speck formation was detected in the choriodecidual leukocytes; and (v) ASC speck formation was greater in the choriodecidual leukocytes isolated from women who underwent spontaneous labor at term than in those without labor.
  
  
  
  There is inflammasome assembly in the chorioamniotic membranes and choriodecidual leukocytes during spontaneous labor at term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 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, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD and 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
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.identifier: 0000-0002-4448-5121
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 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, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD and Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 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, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD and Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garcia-Flores
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 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, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD and Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Yaozhu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 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, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD and Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Panaitescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 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, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD and Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miller
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: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 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, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD and Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Sonia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000650:Amnion / Q000378:metabolism*; D002823:Chorion / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D047929:Term Birth / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D058847:Inflammasomes
keywords: ASC speck; acute chorioamnionitis; apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC); caspase-1; interleukin-1 beta; intra-amniotic infection/inflammation