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The Regulation of Uterine Function During Parturition: an Update and Recent Advances

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Abstract

Successful pregnancy necessitates that the uterus is maintained in a relaxed, quiescent state for the majority of pregnancy, before being transformed to a contractile and excitable phenotype to facilitate parturition. There is now a substantial body of evidence highlighting key upstream regulators involved in this transformation. Despite our rapidly advancing knowledge of myometrial biology, the exact mechanisms that regulate parturition are not yet understood. Further work is necessary to define the complex interactions that form the key regulatory pathways controlling uterine quiescence, contractility, and the transition between the two states. Furthermore, new evidence continues to emerge implicating novel mechanisms that regulate uterine activity during normal and preterm birth. This review examines current evidence pertaining to key upstream regulators that have been implicated in human parturition over the past decades and surveys recent findings that are yet to be integrated into the paradigm of uterine regulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Marina Ilicic

  2. Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Marina Ilicic

  3. Hunter Medical Research Institute, 1 Kookaburra Circuit, New Lambton Heights, NSW, 2305, Australia

    Marina Ilicic, Tamas Zakar & Jonathan W. Paul

  4. School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Tamas Zakar & Jonathan W. Paul

  5. Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Tamas Zakar & Jonathan W. Paul

  6. John Hunter Hospital, Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights, NSW, 2305, Australia

    Tamas Zakar

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  1. Marina Ilicic
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All authors contributed to the manuscript development. MI wrote the manuscript. TZ and JWP edited the manuscript. Figures by JWP and MI. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Ilicic, M., Zakar, T. & Paul, J.W. The Regulation of Uterine Function During Parturition: an Update and Recent Advances. Reprod. Sci. 27, 3–28 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-019-00001-y

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