# Functional and Molecular Characterization of Epithelial Subtypes in Cervical Remodeling and Preterm Birth

> **NIH NIH R01** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $624,219

## Abstract

Abstract
Preterm birth due to an ascending infection accounts for 25-40% of spontaneous preterm births. Disruptions in
the cervical epithelia that perturb its barrier and immune function is a risk factor for an ascending infection. Using
single cell transcriptomic and spatial approaches, epithelia subpopulations were identified in cervices from
nonpregnant mice and mice at gestation days 6, 12, 15, 18 and in labor. Unique to pregnancy was the expansion
of two populations of secretory goblet cells which produce a distinct mucus network and immune surveillance
factors. In the current proposal, we aim to identify the lineage of these secretory cells which express markers of
both squamous and columnar epithelia, and to define the progesterone and estrogen dependent gene regulatory
networks that regulate proliferation and differentiation of the two goblet subtypes. Using single cell datasets from
mice with epithelial barrier defects or mice with exposure to lipopolysaccharide to induce inflammation, we will
define perturbations in epithelial subtype functions that contribute to ascending infection risk. Finally, the
expression of olfactomedin 4, one immune surveillance factor upregulated in the goblet cells in pregnancy, will
be measured in cervico-vaginal fluid from women in each trimester of a term or preterm pregnancy to determine
its utility to monitor cervical epithelial cell health and risk of spontaneous preterm births.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10814365
- **Project number:** 5R01HD110147-02
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** MALA S. MAHENDROO
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $624,219
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-03-24 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10814365

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10814365, Functional and Molecular Characterization of Epithelial Subtypes in Cervical Remodeling and Preterm Birth (5R01HD110147-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10814365. Licensed CC0.

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