Increased Uterine NK-Derived IFN-γand TNF-αin C57BL/6J Mice during Early Gestation

作     者：Xiaoyan WU Haiming Wei Jianhong Zhang Zhigang Tian 

作者机构：Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale School of Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230027 Anhui China 

出 版 物：《Cellular & Molecular Immunology》 (中国免疫学杂志（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2006年第3卷第2期

页      面：131-137页

核心收录：

学科分类：1002[医学-临床医学] 100211[医学-妇产科学] 10[医学] 

基　　金：Natural Science Foundation of China [30500467, 30125038] Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China Foundation of Chinese Academy of Science [KSCX2-2-08] 

主　　题：uNK IFN-γ TNF-α IL-4 IL-5 pregnancy 

摘      要：Natural killer （NK） cells are bone marrow-derived lymphocytes. They produce cytokines that regulate the development of acquired immunity. In view of their accumulation at the maternal-fetal interface, uterine natural killer （uNK） cells are also thought to play essential roles during pregnancy. Our results compared the differences of cytokine secretion profile by NK cells in uterine endometrium, liver, spleen and peripheral blood, and focused on the cytokines secretion by uNK cells. It was demonstrated that the expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α in uterine endometrium of pregnant mice are lower than those in liver, but they increase significantly during pregnancy. Our study showed that the number of uNK cells was increased significantly during pregnancy. They produced more IFN-γ and TNF-α than other organ-derived NK cells, and they also secreted minor amount of IL-4 and IL-5. The results indicated that the IFN-γ and TNF-α produced by uNK cells ensured a successful pregnancy progress.