Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Genetic variations in fetal and maternal tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin 10: is there an association with preterm birth or periventricular leucomalacia?

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of the study was to identify whether tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (−308) and interleukin (IL)-10 (−1082; −819) genotypes were associated with preterm delivery and cystic periventricular leucomalacia (PVL).

Study Design:

Venous blood, buccal swabs or cord blood were collected from mother/child pairs with infants born at term (200) or preterm (106) in the presence and absence of neonatal PVL and of premature infants with PVL (7). Extracted genomic DNA served as template for determination of IL-10 (−1082), IL-10 (−819) and TNF-α (−308) genotypes by allele-specific PCR.

Result:

No significant difference was observed in the frequencies of IL-10 (−1082), IL-10 (−819) and TNF-α (−308) genotypes in mothers or in children of term versus preterm deliveries with or without PVL.

Conclusion:

Maternal and infant IL-10 (−1082, −819) and TNF-α (−308) genotypes are not indicative for an increased risk of preterm birth or the development of PVL in premature newborns.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Williamson DM, Abe K, Bean C, Ferre C, Henderson Z, Lackritz E . Current research in preterm birth. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2008; 17: 1545–1549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Fetal and Infant Health Study Group of the Canadian perinatal surveillance systemAuthor: Kramer MS Demissie K, Yang H, Platt RW, Sauve R, Liston R . The contribution of mild and moderate preterm birth to infant mortality. JAMA 2000; 284: 843–849.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Volpe JJ . Brain injury in the premature infant. Neuropathology, clinical aspects, pathogenesis, and prevention. Clin Perinatol 1997; 24: 567–587.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Romero R, Espinoza J, Kusanovic JP, Gotsch F, Hassan S, Erez O et al. The preterm parturition syndrome. BJOG 2006; 113 (Suppl 3): 17–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Fanaroff AA, Hack M . Periventricular leukomalacia—prospects for prevention. N Engl J Med 1999; 341: 1229–1231.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Gomez R, Romero R, Ghezzi F, Yoon BH, Mazor M, Berry SM . The fetal inflammatory response syndrome. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1998; 179: 194–202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Vigneswaran R . Infection and preterm birth: evidence of a common causal relationship with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and cerebral palsy. J Paediatr Child Health 2000; 36: 293–296.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Grether JK, Nelson KB . Maternal infection and cerebral palsy in infants of normal birth weight. JAMA 1997; 278: 207–211.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Leviton A, Paneth N, Reuss ML, Susser M, Allred EN, Dammann O et al. Maternal infection, fetal inflammatory response, and brain damage in very low birth weight infants. Developmental Epidemiology Network Investigators. Pediatr Res 1999; 46: 566–575.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Yoon BH, Jun JK, Romero R, Park KH, Gomez R, Choi JH et al. Amniotic fluid inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, interleukin-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha), neonatal brain white matter lesions, and cerebral palsy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1997; 177: 19–26.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Romero R, Mazor M, Sepulveda W, Avila C, Copeland D, Williams J . Tumor necrosis factor in preterm and term labor. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1992; 166: 1576–1587.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Shohami E, Ginis I, Hallenbeck JM . Dual role of tumor necrosis factor alpha in brain injury. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 1999; 10: 119–130.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Barone FC, Arvin B, White RF, Miller A, Webb CL, Willette RN et al. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha. A mediator of focal ischemic brain injury. Stroke 1997; 28: 1233–1244.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Yang GY, Gong C, Qin Z, Ye W, Mao Y, Bertz AL . Inhibition of TNFalpha attenuates infarct volume and ICAM-1 expression in ischemic mouse brain. Neuroreport 1998; 9: 2131–2134.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Nawashiro H, Tasaki K, Ruetzler CA, Hallenbeck JM . TNF-alpha pretreatment induces protective effects against focal cerebral ischemia in mice. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1997; 17: 483–490.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Moore KW, de Waal Malefyt R, Coffman RL, O’Garra A . Interleukin-10 and the interleukin-10 receptor. Annu Rev Immunol 2001; 19: 683–765.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kremlev SG, Palmer C . Interleukin-10 inhibits endotoxin-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines in microglial cell cultures. J Neuroimmunol 2005; 162: 71–80.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kroeger KM, Carville KS, Abraham LJ . The −308 tumor necrosis factor-alpha promoter polymorphism effects transcription. Mol Immunol 1997; 34: 391–399.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Yilmaz V, Yentür SP, Saruhan-Direskeneli G . IL-12 and IL-10 polymorphisms and their effects on cytokine production. Cytokine 2005; 30: 188–194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Turner DM, Williams DM, Sankaran D, Lazarus M, Sinnott PJ, Hutchinson IV . An investigation of polymorphism in the interleukin-10 gene promoter. Eur J Immunogenet 1997; 24: 1–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Bell MJ, Hallenbeck JM, Gallo V . Determining the fetal inflammatory response in an experimental model of intrauterine inflammation in rats. Pediatr Res 2004; 56: 541–546.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Orsi NM, Tribe RM . Cytokine networks and the regulation of uterine function in pregnancy and parturition. J Neuroendocrinol 2008; 20: 462–469.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Mattar R, de Souza E, Daher S . Preterm delivery and cytokine gene polymorphisms. J Reprod Med 2006; 51: 317–320.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Moura E, Mattar R, de Souza E, Torloni MR, Gonçalves-Primo A, Daher S . Inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms and spontaneous preterm birth. J Reprod Immunol 2009; 80: 115–121.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Annells MF, Hart PH, Mullighan CG, Heatley SL, Robinson JS, Bardy P et al. Interleukins-1, -4, -6, -10, tumor necrosis factor, transforming growth factor-beta, FAS, and mannose-binding protein C gene polymorphisms in Australian women: risk of preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004; 191: 2056–2067.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Menon R, Merialdi M, Betran AP, Dolan S, Jiang L, Fortunato SJ et al. Analysis of association between maternal tumor necrosis factor-alpha promoter polymorphism (-308), tumor necrosis factor concentration, and preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2006; 195: 1240–1248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Macones GA, Parry S, Elkousy M, Clothier B, Ural SH, Strauss III JF . A polymorphism in the promoter region of TNF and bacterial vaginosis: preliminary evidence of gene-environment interaction in the etiology of spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004; 190: 1504–1508; discussion 1503A.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Moore S, Ide M, Randhawa M, Walker JJ, Reid JG, Simpson NA . An investigation into the association among preterm birth, cytokine gene polymorphisms and periodontal disease. BJOG 2004; 111: 125–132.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Roberts AK, Monzon-Bordonaba F, Van Deerlin PG, Holder J, Macones GA, Morgan MA et al. Association of polymorphism within the promoter of the tumor necrosis factor alpha gene with increased risk of preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999; 180: 1297–1302.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Froen JF, Munkeby BH, Stray-Pedersen B, Saugstad OD . Interleukin-10 reverses acute detrimental effects of endotoxin-induced inflammation on perinatal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia. Brain Res 2002; 942: 87–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Grilli M, Barbieri I, Basudev H, Brusa R, Casati C, Lozza G et al. Interleukin-10 modulates neuronal threshold of vulnerability to ischaemic damage. Eur J Neurosci 2000; 12: 2265–2272.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Ellison VJ, Mocatta TJ, Winterbourn CC, Darlow BA, Volpe JJ, Inder TE . The relationship of CSF and plasma cytokine levels to cerebral white matter injury in the premature newborn. Pediatr Res 2005; 57: 282–286.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Yanamandra K, Boggs P, Loggins J, Baier RJ . Interleukin-10 −1082 G/A polymorphism and risk of death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia in ventilated very low birth weight infants. Pediatr Pulmonol 2005; 39: 426–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Dordelmann M, Kerk J, Dressler F, Brinkhaus MJ, Bartels DB, Dammann CE et al. Interleukin-10 high producer allele and ultrasound-defined periventricular white matter abnormalities in preterm infants: a preliminary study. Neuropediatrics 2006; 37: 130–136.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Deguchi K, Mizuguchi M, Takashima S . Immunohistochemical expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha in neonatal leukomalacia. Pediatr Neurol 1996; 14: 13–16.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Savman K, Blennow M, Hagberg H, Tarkowski E, Thoresen M, Whitelaw A . Cytokine response in cerebrospinal fluid from preterm infants with posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilatation. Acta Paediatr 2002; 91: 1357–1363.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Yoon BH, Park CW, Chaiworapongsa T . Intrauterine infection and the development of cerebral palsy. BJOG 2003; 110 (Suppl 20): 124–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Adcock K, Hedberg C, Loggins J, Kruger TE, Baier RJ . The TNF-alpha −308, MCP-1 −2518 and TGF-beta1 +915 polymorphisms are not associated with the development of chronic lung disease in very low birth weight infants. Genes Immun 2003; 4: 420–426.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Nelson KB, Dambrosia JM, Iovannisci DM, Cheng S, Grether JK, Lammer E . Genetic polymorphisms and cerebral palsy in very preterm infants. Pediatr Res 2005; 57: 494–499.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the European Commission (Network of Excellence ‘Special Non-Invasive Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Evaluation (SAFE)’, FP6–503243) and by the Jubliäumsfonds of the Austrian National Bank (project no. 12970).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B Pertl.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Perinatology website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nuk, M., Orendi, K., Rosenberger, S. et al. Genetic variations in fetal and maternal tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin 10: is there an association with preterm birth or periventricular leucomalacia?. J Perinatol 32, 27–32 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2011.37

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2011.37

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links