The role of gene-environment interactions underlying the health disparity of premature birth. (Fellowships, Grants, & Awards).

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the NIEHS are seeking research grant applications on the role of gene--environment interactions underlying the health disparity of premature birth in the United States. The major objective of this PA is to determine the role of gene--environment interactions and genetic diversity in the health disparity of premature birth. This PA specifically addresses the need to better understand how adverse societal, behavioral, and environmental conditions alter gene expression and interact with diverse genetic backgrounds to increase a woman's susceptibility for premature birth in high-risk racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Furthermore, the PA addresses the need for the identification and functional characterization of genetic markers that increase the risk of premature birth among these high-risk populations. Multidisciplinary applications linking biomedical scientists with social and behavioral scientists are highly encouraged.

This PA seeks research projects focused on one or more of the following goals:

1) Determine changes in gene or protein expression under adverse societal, behavioral, or environmental conditions to identify candidate genes or their corresponding proteins that may be involved in increasing a woman's susceptibility for premature delivery in high-risk racial and ethnic populations in the United States. Examples include, but are not limited to, studies utilizing gene or protein expression profiling by high-throughput platforms, such as DNA arrays, protein arrays, and protein capture/SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

2) Determine the functional relevance of an identified gene or protein for increasing a woman's susceptibility for premature delivery under adverse societal, behavioral, or environmental conditions in high-risk racial and ethnic populations in the United States. Examples include, but are not limited to, studies elucidating the function or mechanism of action of an identified gene or protein in precipitating premature delivery.

3) Determine genomic differences that serve as potential candidate markers for increasing a woman's susceptibility for premature delivery under adverse societal, behavioral, or environmental conditions in high-risk racial and ethnic populations in the United States. Examples include, but are not limited to, linkage studies using high-throughput genotyping platforms to uncover genomic differences, such as sequence repeats and multiple or single nucleotide polymorphisms.

4) Determine the functional relevance of candidate genomic markers associated with an increased risk for premature birth in high-risk racial and ethnic populations in the United States. Examples include, but are not limited to, studies that determine the functional consequence of these markers as it relates to gene expression, function, or regulation.

Applicants are encouraged to consider the complexity of issues surrounding the meaning and assessment of race and ethnicity, because an individual's identification with a particular racial or ethnic group may involve not only an individual's genetic background but also his or her cultural and geographical identity. As appropriate for their particular proposals, applicants should consider the degree of genomic heterogeneity within racial and ethnic populations and that genetic differences may not apply broadly to a specific race or ethnic group, and should consider the new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives on classifying race and ethnicity. NIH policy on reporting race and ethnicity data based on OMB directives is available at http:// grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/ NOT-OD-01-053.html.

Because the NIEHS has expanded its research agenda through the Environmental Genome Project, the NIEHS is particularly interested in applications that examine the complex interplay of genes and the environment. The understanding of the critical role of genetic susceptibility and sensitivity to environmental exposures will lead to more effective disease prevention and improved public health.

This PA will use the NIH research project grant (R01) award mechanism. Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). The PHS 398 is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/ phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. Applications submitted in response to this PA will be accepted at the standard application deadlines indicated in the PHS 398 application kit. Complete information on this PA is available at http:// grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/ PA-02-102.html.

Contact: John V. Ilekis, Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, NICHD, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 4B03, MSC 7510, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510 USA, 301-435-6895, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; Yvonne Bryan, Division of Extramural Activities, NINR, 45 Center Drive, Room 3AN-12, MSC 6300, Bethesda, MD 20892-6300 USA, 301-594-6908, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; Kimberly Gray Kamins, Chemical Exposures and Molecular Biology Branch, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, EC-21, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-0293, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: PA No. PA-02-102