Graduation Year
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.P.H.
Degree Name
MS in Public Health (M.S.P.H.)
Degree Granting Department
Public Health
Major Professor
Derek Wildman, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Monica Uddin, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Jamie Corvin, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Chengqi Wang, Ph.D.
Keywords
preterm birth, gene expression, epigenetic, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
Abstract
Preterm birth is the event of spontaneous birth prior to 37 weeks of gestation. In the United States, 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely. Low gestational age has been linked with increased morbidity and mortality. Preterm birth is multifactorial, where a myriad of contributors have been identified to include inflammation, chorioamnionitis, and inflammatory conditions to include hypertension and diabetes. To further explore the role inflammation plays in low gestational age, a literature review was done using PubMed. Two classes of inflammation quickly emerged: Pathogen born intra-amniotic inflammation and Sterile intra-amniotic inflammation. The latter form of inflammation has no identifiable source. Hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal axis [HPA-axis] dysregulation was explored as a possible source to sterile intra- amniotic inflammation. Data was obtained from an epigenetic wide association study that analyzed 157 peripheral blood samples from infants using a 450k array to output β-values. Two gene lists were created, the glucocorticoid receptor regulatory network that details 82 genes that are pertinent to HPA-axis function and a “regulation of cytokine production involved in inflammatory response” gene list was obtained from Gene Ontology. Gene tables were created to identify CpG sites from the 450k array that are associated with the genes of interest. A Wilcoxon sum rank test was used to evaluate differential methylation between infants who did and did not experience chorioamnionitis with p-adjusted values < 0.1 were considered significant. Nine genes had CpG sites with differential methylation including FKBP5, EP300, GATA3, GSK3B, IL6R, NFATC1, NR3C1, SAMARCA4, HIF1AN.
Scholar Commons Citation
Taylor, Zoe M., "Etiology of sterile intra-amniotic inflammation: An exploratory study" (2022). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/9478
