Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
Sam Mesiano
Department of Reproductive Biology, Case Western Reserve University and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, United States
Ortal Tamam
The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
Ge Zhang
Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, United States
Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, United States; Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Research Triangle Park, Durham, United States
Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition, the process of birth, and how they are coordinated with fetal developmental programs. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5 year old child mortality worldwide. Here, we consider the evolutionary influences and potential signaling mechanisms that maintain or end pregnancy in eutherian mammals and use this knowledge to formulate general theoretical evolutionary models. These models can be tested through evolutionary species comparisons, studies of experimental manipulation of gestation period and birth timing, and human clinical studies. Understanding how gestation time and parturition are determined will shed light on this fundamental biological process and improve human health through the development of therapies to prevent preterm birth.
