Beyond Uterine Natural Killer Cell Numbers in Unexplained Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: Combined Analysis of CD45, CD56, CD16, CD57, and CD138
Open Access
- 28 August 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Diagnostics
- Vol. 10 (9), 650
- https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10090650
Abstract
Changes in the number and cytotoxic potential of uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells have been associated with reduced fertility. To provide a better characterization of immunophenotypes in the endometrium of women with uRPL (unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss), we examined the applicability of a set of five immune cell markers. The concentration (cells/mm2) of CD45+ leukocytes, CD56+ uNK cells, and CD138+ plasma cells as well as of CD16+ and CD57+ cells, which indicate high cytotoxic uNK cells, were assessed by immunohistochemistry in endometrial biopsies from 61 uRPL patients and 10 controls. Control fertile endometria presented 90–300 CD56+ uNK cells/mm2. uRPL cases were classified in subgroups of low (uRPL-CD56low < 90 cells/mm2), normal (uRPL-CD56normal 90–300 cells/mm2), and high uNK cell counts (uRPL-CD56high > 300 cells/mm2). Some cases from the uRPL-CD56low and uRPL-CD56normal subgroups showed elevated proportions of cytotoxic CD16+ and CD57+ cells in relation to CD56+ cells. In the uRPL-CD56high subgroup, the CD57/CD56 ratio was reduced in most samples and the CD16/CD56 ratio was unaltered. Analysis of CD138 excluded the influence of chronic endometritis on these observations. Our results reinforce a link between uRPL and a dysfunctional endometrial environment associated with distinct immune cell profiles.Keywords
Funding Information
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (Rustaveli-DAAD-Fellowship Programme, no. 91677531)
This publication has 68 references indexed in Scilit:
- Controlling Natural Killer Cell Responses: Integration of Signals for Activation and InhibitionAnnual Review of Immunology, 2013
- Imaging of Vascular Development in Early Mouse Decidua and Its Association with Leukocytes and Trophoblasts1Biology of Reproduction, 2012
- Uterine natural killer cells initiate spiral artery remodeling in human pregnancyThe FASEB Journal, 2012
- Maternal activating KIRs protect against human reproductive failure mediated by fetal HLA-C2JCI Insight, 2010
- Expansion of Functionally Skewed CD56-Negative NK Cells in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Correlation with Outcome of Pegylated IFN-α and Ribavirin TreatmentThe Journal of Immunology, 2009
- ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Abnormal Pattern of Lymphocyte Subpopulations in the Endometrium of Infertile Women with Chronic EndometritisAmerican Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 2009
- Regulatory role of NKp44, NKp46, DNAM-1 and NKG2D receptors in the interaction between NK cells and trophoblast cells. Evidence for divergent functional profiles of decidual versus peripheral NK cellsInternational Immunology, 2008
- Analysis of natural killer cells isolated from human decidua: evidence that 2B4 (CD244) functions as an inhibitory receptor and blocks NK-cell functionBlood, 2006
- Flagellin enhances NK cell proliferation and activation directly and through dendritic cell-NK cell interactionsJournal of Leukocyte Biology, 2005
- Human Decidual Natural Killer Cells Are a Unique NK Cell Subset with Immunomodulatory PotentialThe Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2003