Scientists discover how the uterus knows when to push during childbirth

"Successful childbirth depends on the uterus producing steady, well-organized contractions that move the baby safely through delivery. Hormones such as progesterone and oxytocin play a major role in controlling this process. For years, however, researchers have also suspected that physical forces involved in pregnancy and birth, including stretching and pressure, contribute in important ways. New research from Scripps Research, published in Science, now shows how the uterus detects and responds to these physical forces at the molecular level."

"Pressure and Stretch as Biological Signals "As the fetus grows, the uterus expands dramatically, and those physical forces reach their peak during delivery," says senior author Ardem Patapoutian, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Presidential Endowed Chair in Neurobiology at Scripps Research. "Our study shows that the body relies on special pressure sensors to interpret these cues and translate them into coordinated muscle activity." Patapoutian shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for identifying the cellular sensors that allow organisms to detect touch and pressure. These sensors are ion channels built from proteins known as PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, which enable cells to respond to mechanical force."

"In the new study, researchers found that PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 perform separate but complementary tasks during labor. PIEZO1 operates primarily within the smooth muscle of the uterus, where it detects rising pressure as contractions strengthen. PIEZO2, in contrast, is located in sensory nerves in the cervi"

Successful childbirth depends on the uterus producing steady, well-organized contractions that move the baby safely through delivery. Hormones such as progesterone and oxytocin play major roles in controlling contractions. Physical forces generated by fetal growth and uterine stretching provide additional biological signals that influence labor. The uterus detects these mechanical cues at the molecular level via pressure-sensing ion channels. PIEZO1 functions in uterine smooth muscle to sense rising pressure as contractions strengthen. PIEZO2 functions in cervical sensory nerves to detect stretch and transmit signals that influence the timing and coordination of labor.

Read at ScienceDaily