# Genomic Consequences of Estrogen Receptor Activation in the Cervix

> **NIH NIH P01** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · $263,537

## Abstract

The single most effective predictor of preterm birth is the state of cervix upon presentation with 
symptoms of preterm labor. The mechanisms underlying physiological cervical ripening at term 
are largely unknown, and the causes of preterm cervical dilation are even more elusive. Our 
laboratory, together with complementary expertise from other projects in this application, has 
expanded its long-term strength in the biology and physiology of human parturition to include a 
more integrated approach to delve deeply into the molecular transcriptional and genomic 
mechanisms that underpin the physiology of normal labor at term and the pathophysiology of 
preterm birth. Here, we propose (i) to determine if ER antagonists block preterm cervical 
ripening and labor, (ii) to explore the global effects of PR- and ER-mediated signaling pathways 
in human cervical cells and the cellular mechanisms by which PRs inhibit ER-mediated 
signaling, and (iii) to determine the role of ER-mediated signaling pathways in cervical ripening 
and dilation in vivo.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10063454
- **Project number:** 5P01HD087150-05
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** RUTH A WORD
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $263,537
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-12-15 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10063454

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10063454, Genomic Consequences of Estrogen Receptor Activation in the Cervix (5P01HD087150-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10063454. Licensed CC0.

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