Regulation of uterine adaptation to pregnancy by sphingosine 1-phosphate, a bioactive phopholipid

怀孕伴随着戏剧性的子宫适应，以允许健康胎盘的发育，并提供一个安全的生长环境。这种情况在怀孕结束时突然发生变化，此时子宫被激活并开始收缩以分娩婴儿。目前对所有这些子宫变化的调控研究主要集中在蛋白质、激素和前列腺素的作用上。鞘氨醇-磷酸（S1P）是一种众所周知的磷脂，最近被确定为生殖领域的一个重要因素。然而，关于S1P在子宫适应妊娠中的作用知之甚少。我的研究项目的长期目标是确定S1P在妊娠诱导事件中的作用，如：1)植入和滋养细胞侵袭的控制；2)分娩前子宫激活和3)刺激子宫肌收缩。

Pregnancy is accompanied by dramatic uterine adaptations to allow for development of a healthy placenta and to provide a safe environment in which to grow. This changes abruptly at the end of pregnancy when the uterus becomes activated and begins contracting to deliver the baby. Current research on the regulation of all these uterine changes focus primarily on the roles of proteins, hormones and prostaglandins. A well-known phospholipid which has recently been identified as an important factor within the reproductive field is sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). However, little is known about the role of S1P in uterine adaptations to pregnancy. The long-term objectives of my program of research are to define the role of S1P in pregnancy-induced events such as 1) implantation and control of trophoblast invasion; 2) uterine activation prior to labour and 3) stimulation of myometrial contractions.