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Problem Inflammatory biomarkers are associated with preeclampsia ( PE) and poor fetal growth; however, genetic epidemiologic studies have been limited by reduced gene coverage and the exclusion of African American mothers. Method of study Cases and controls ( N = 1646) from a pregnancy cohort were genotyped for 503 tag SNPs in 40 genes related to inflammation. Gene-set analyses were stratified by race and were followed by a single SNP analysis within significant gene sets. Results Gene-level associations were found for IL6 and KLRD1 for term small for gestational age ( SGA) among African Americans. LTA/ TNF and TBX21 were associated with PE among European Americans. The strongest association was for PE among European Americans for an upstream regulator of TNF with RR = 1.8 (95% CI 1.1-2.7). Conclusion Although previous studies have suggested null associations, increased tagging and stratification by genetic ancestry suggests important associations between IL6 and term SGA for African Americans, and a TNF regulator and PE among European Americans ( N = 149). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kraus TA, Sperling RS, Engel SM, Lo Y, Kellerman L, Singh T, Loubeau M, Ge Y, Garrido JL, Rodríguez-García M, Moran TM. Peripheral blood cytokine profiling during pregnancy and post-partum periods. Am J Reprod Immunol 2010; 64: 411-426 Pregnancy requires that the maternal immune system adapt to prevent rejection of the fetal semi-allograft. This immunologic adaptation may contribute to pregnancy-related alterations in disease susceptibility and severity of infections from viral pathogens such as influenza virus. As part of a larger study investigating the maternal systemic immune response during pregnancy, peripheral blood was collected three times during pregnancy and twice post-partum to measure serum levels of 23 cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. This longitudinal study design allowed each woman's post-partum blood draw to serve as her own comparison, thus controlling for interpersonal variability in expression levels. When compared to the post-partum samples, significant pregnancy-related changes in IFNγ, TNFα, VEGF, GCSF, Eotaxin, and MCP-1 expression were observed. These changes have significant immunologic effects in vivo and in culture. Pregnancy-associated changes to steady state serum cytokines may have important immunologic consequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]