However, the cervix may withstand exogenous insults due to multiple barriers (mechanical barriers: tight junctions that seal the cervical epithelial layer and the CMP that blocks invading pathogens from passing through to the uterine cavity; chemical barriers: production of AMPs and anti-inflammatory cytokines that can fight off infection and temporize inflammation; and immunologic barriers: innate and adaptive immune responses in the cervix) that protect the cervix and balance the impact of infection and inflammation. This evidence concerns the gene ADSL and infection.