Transcriptome and Regulatory Maps of Decidua-derived Stromal Cells Inform Gene Discovery in Preterm Birth

This study generated extensive transcriptional and chromatin annotations of decidua-derived stromal cells and then utilized a computational framework to analyze this information in conjunction with results from a genome-wide association study of gestation duration in 56,384 women. This resulted in a significant enrichment of heritability estimates in functional noncoding regions in stromal cells, as well as in the discovery of additional loci associated with gestational duration and target genes of associated loci.