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Multiomic immune clockworks of pregnancy
Laura S Peterson1, Ina A Stelzer2, Amy S Tsai2
1Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Insights
Understanding the pregnancy immune clock is key to predicting and preventing preterm birth. Multiomic studies offer integrated insights into immune adaptations for better prediction of preterm birth.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive immunology
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Genomics and computational biology
Background:
- Preterm birth is a leading global cause of infant mortality.
- Current prediction and prevention methods for preterm birth are insufficient.
- Immune system dysregulation during pregnancy is central to preterm labor pathophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the biological pacemakers controlling the pregnancy immune clock.
- To highlight the role of multiomic studies in understanding pregnancy immune adaptations.
- To identify predictive signatures for preterm birth.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on fetal, placental, and maternal immune programming.
- Emphasis on multiomic approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc.).
- Analysis of biological signatures associated with preterm birth.
Main Results:
- Key elements of the fetal, placental, and maternal pacemakers identified.
- Multiomic studies provide an integrated view of immune adaptations.
- Enhanced biological plausibility and predictive power of immune signatures.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the pregnancy immune clock is crucial for preterm birth prediction and prevention.
- Multiomic assessments are vital for strengthening predictive signatures.
- Further research into immune clock dysregulations can lead to novel interventions.
Abstract:
Preterm birth is the leading cause of mortality in children under the age of five worldwide. Despite major efforts, we still lack the ability to accurately predict and effectively prevent preterm birth. While multiple factors contribute to preterm labor, dysregulations of immunological adaptations required for the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy is at its pathophysiological core. Consequently, a precise understanding of these chronologically paced immune adaptations and of the biological pacemakers that synchronize the pregnancy "immune clock" is a critical first step towards identifying deviations that are hallmarks of peterm birth. Here, we will review key elements of the fetal, placental, and maternal pacemakers that program the immune clock of pregnancy. We will then emphasize multiomic studies that enable a more integrated view of pregnancy-related immune adaptations. Such multiomic assessments can strengthen the biological plausibility of immunological findings and increase the power of biological signatures predictive of preterm birth.
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