Gene knockout mice in the study of parturition.

OBJECTIVE: To review recent studies of parturition control in mice with relevance to understanding the control of human parturition.
METHODS: Assimilation of published studies of gene knockout mice with mutations in neuropeptides, prostaglandin synthetic enzymes and receptors, and other molecules implicated in parturition.
RESULTS: The central role of prostaglandins in murine labor is demonstrated by mice with gene mutations at multiple levels of the prostaglandin synthetic pathway. In addition, novel molecules such as steroid 5 alpha-reductase are found to play an essential role in the progression of labor. Surprisingly, deficiency of neuropeptides such as oxytocin and corticotropin-releasing hormone have little effect on parturition.
CONCLUSION: Molecular genetic analyses in mice provide an efficient way to define molecules critical for murine parturition. Extrapolation of the importance of these molecules to human parturition provides the next challenge.