Doctoral Dissertation Research: Reproductive-immune trade-offs in preterm birth: a life history perspective

母子之间的进化权衡，以及生殖和免疫功能之间的权衡，可能塑造了人类的生活史。这项研究将在早产的背景下调查这种权衡，早产经常与轻微的感染和/或炎症有关，这表明生殖和免疫系统之间的生理妥协可能会影响妊娠长度。研究人员将在母亲免疫挑战和早产的背景下评估胎盘特征，包括胎盘微生物组。该项目的发现可能会扩展目前关于微生物群在人类生理和健康中的作用的有限知识，特别是在胎盘界面上。在早产率方面，美国与南亚和撒哈拉以南非洲地区并驾齐驱，在种族、民族和社会经济地位方面存在极大的差异。通过考虑免疫激活可能危及生殖的进化根源，该项目将为一个长期存在的公共卫生问题带来一个新的视角，并有可能为社区卫生努力和公共卫生政策提供信息。其他更广泛的影响包括本科培训和促进跨学科研究合作。这项针对美国女性的研究将在基于生殖免疫权衡的进化生活史框架内整合母亲状况、胎盘功能、胎盘微生物群和孕期长度。研究人员将检验两个假设：1)以体积和效率降低为特征的胎盘表型和独特的微生物群将与早产有关，2)这种联系将取决于母亲的全身炎症。这项研究的结果将有助于阐明妊娠期间免疫激活的影响，并将促进胎盘微生物组功能和变异及其在早产中的作用的进化前景。

Evolutionary tradeoffs between mother and offspring, and between reproduction and immune function, are likely to have shaped human life history. This study will investigate such tradeoffs in the context of preterm birth, which is frequently associated with mild infection and/or inflammation, suggesting that physiological compromises between reproduction and the immune system may influence gestation length. The investigators will evaluate placental characteristics, including the placental microbiome, in the context of maternal immune challenge and preterm birth. Project findings may extend current limited knowledge of the role of microbiomes in human physiology and health, specifically at the placental interface. The U.S. ranks alongside South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa in rates of preterm birth, with extreme disparities based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. By considering the evolutionary roots of why immune activation might compromise reproduction, this project will bring a new perspective to a persistent public health problem, and has the potential to inform community health efforts and public health policy. Other broader impacts include undergraduate training and the fostering of interdisciplinary research collaborations.This study of U.S. women will integrate maternal condition, placental function, the placental microbiome, and gestation length within an evolutionary life history framework based on reproductive-immune trade-offs. The investigators will test two hypotheses: 1) that the placental phenotype characterized by reduced size and efficiency, and a distinct microbiome, will be associated with preterm birth, and 2) that this association will depend on maternal systemic inflammation. The results of this research will shed light on the effects of immune activation during pregnancy, and will advance evolutionary perspectives on placental microbiome function and variation, and its role in preterm birth.