Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in children under 5 and those who survive commonly suffer from life-long deleterious health impairments. Preterm labor (PTL) is defined as sustained contractions prior to 37 weeks of gestation, which occurs in about 10% of all pregnancies in the U.S. The mechanisms that initiate PTL are still not well understood; researchers aimed for the identification of molecular targets for PTL.