What is it about?
We looked at how the histones that organize and package DNA inside the muscle cells of the uterus are modified during pregnancy. This revealed that modifications that make the DNA more active are already placed near genes that cause labor contractions several days before labor starts.
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Why is it important?
Labor can be initiated too early in some cases causing preterm labor in pregnant people. Our work provides a new explanation for why that might occur; the DNA is already poised to activate key genes several days before labor starts.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The pregnant myometrium is epigenetically activated at contractility-driving gene loci prior to the onset of labor in mice, PLoS Biology, July 2020, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000710.
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