Research on the Expression of HOXA10 in Placental Villi during the Onset of Labor

ObjectiveTo investigate the difference of the expression of HOXA10 gene in placental villi before and after the onset of labor.MethodsImmunohistochemistry was used to detect the location of HOXA10 in placental villi. The expression of HOXA10 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-PCR and Western blotting.ResultsImmunohistochemistry showed that HOXA10 was only weakly expressed in placental villi of the natural labor group. However, it was strongly expressed in placental villi of the surgical labor group. RT-PCR and Western blotting showed that the expression of HOXA10 mRNA and protein were significantly lower in the natural labor group than in the surgical labor group (P<0.05).ConclusionsThe lower expression of HOXA10 during the onset of labor may be one of the major factors in initiating the normal labor. And to some extent, the lower expression of HOXA10 gene in the natural labor group may be related to “functional progesterone withdrawal”.