T helper 17 （Th17） cells have both regulatory and protective roles in physiological conditions. The Th17 subset and the cytokine interleukin-17A （IL-17A） have been implicated in the pathogenesis of certain autoimm...T helper 17 （Th17） cells have both regulatory and protective roles in physiological conditions. The Th17 subset and the cytokine interleukin-17A （IL-17A） have been implicated in the pathogenesis of certain autoimmune diseases, several types of cancer and allograft rejection. However, the role of Th17 cells at the maternal/fetal interface remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Th17 cells are present in decidua and are increased in the peripheral blood of 10 clinically normal pregnancies based on intracellular cytokine analysis. Our results suggest a potential role of Th17 cells in sustaining pregnancy in humans. Furthermore, we demonstrate that decidual stromal cells （DSCs） but not trophoblast cells recruit peripheral Th17 cells into the decidua by secreting CCL2. The recruited Th17 cells promote proliferation and invasion and inhibit the apoptosis of human trophoblast cells by secreting IL-17 during the first trimester of pregnancy. These findings indicate a novel role for Th17 cells in controlling the maternal-fetal relationship and placenta development.展开更多
Macrophages are crucial for a successful pregnancy, and malfunctions of decidual macrophages correlate with adverse pregnancyoutcomes, such as spontaneous abortion and preeclampsia. Previously, decidual macrophages we...Macrophages are crucial for a successful pregnancy, and malfunctions of decidual macrophages correlate with adverse pregnancyoutcomes, such as spontaneous abortion and preeclampsia. Previously, decidual macrophages were often thought to be a singlepopulation. In the present study, we identified three decidual macrophage subsets, CCR2−CD11cLO (CD11clow, ~80%), CCR2−CD11cHI (CD11chigh, ~5%), and CCR2+CD11cHI (CD11chigh, 10–15%), during the first trimester of human pregnancy by flowcytometry analysis. CCR2−CD11cLO macrophages are widely distributed in the decidua, while CCR2−CD11cHI and CCR2+CD11cHImacrophages are primarily detected close to extravillous trophoblast cells according to immunofluorescence staining. According toRNA sequencing bioinformatics analysis and in vitro functional studies, these three subsets of macrophages have differentphagocytic capacities. CCR2+CD11cHI macrophages have pro-inflammatory characteristics, while the CCR2−CD11cHI population issuggested to be anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory due to its high expression of critical heme metabolism-related genes,suggesting that these two subsets of macrophages maintain an inflammatory balance at the leading edge of trophoblast invasionto facilitate the clearance of pathogen infection as well as maintain the homeostasis of the maternal-fetal interface. The presentstudy physiologically identifies three decidual macrophage subsets. Further clarification of the functions of these subsets willimprove our understanding of maternal-fetal crosstalk in the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy.展开更多
Objective: To study the effect of hypoxia on the expression of placental trophoblast cells SATB1 and β-catenin and its correlation with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods: Trophoblastic cell lines HRT8/SVneo w...Objective: To study the effect of hypoxia on the expression of placental trophoblast cells SATB1 and β-catenin and its correlation with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods: Trophoblastic cell lines HRT8/SVneo were cultured, SATB1 and β-catenin expression and cell biological behavior were determined after hypoxia reoxygenation treatment; cell biological behavior and the expression of related genes were determined after the transfection of SATB1 and β-catenin siR NA; preeclampsia placenta and normal placenta tissues were collected and the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin were determined. Results: OD value, cell migration rate, m RNA contents of SATB1 and β-catenin of H/R group were significantly lower than those of Nor group, cell apoptosis rate was higher than that of Nor group and the number of invasive cells was less than that of Nor group; OD value and bcl-2 mRNA content of SATB1-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; cell apoptosis rate as well as Bax, Caspase-3, caspase-6 and caspase-9 mRNA contents were higher than those of NC group; cell migration rate as well as CTSB, CTSD, MMP2 and MMP9 mRNA contents of β-catenin-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; the number of invasive cells was less than that of NC group; the expression levels of SATB1 and β-catenin in preeclampsia placenta tissue were significantly lower than those in normal placenta tissue. Conclusions: Hypoxia can inhibit the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, which can affect the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of cells.展开更多
Embryos express paternal antigens that are foreign to the mother, but the mother provides a special immune milieu at the fetal-maternal interface to permit rather than reject the embryo growth in the uterus until part...Embryos express paternal antigens that are foreign to the mother, but the mother provides a special immune milieu at the fetal-maternal interface to permit rather than reject the embryo growth in the uterus until parturition by establishing precise crosstalk between the mother and the fetus. There are unanswered questions in the maintenance of pregnancy, including the poorly understood phenomenon of maternal tolerance to the allogeneic conceptus, and the remarkable biological roles of placental trophoblasts that invade the uterine wall. Chemokines are multifunctional molecules initially described as having a role in leukocyte trafficking and later found to participate in developmental processes such as differentiation and directed migration. It is increasingly evident that the gestational uterine microenvironment is characterized, at least in part, by the differential expression and secretion of chemokines that induce selective trafficking of leukocyte subsets to the maternal-fetal interface and regulate multiple events that are closely associated with normal pregnancy. Here, we review the expression and function of chemokines and their receptors at the maternal-fetal interface, with a special focus on chemokine as a key component in trophoblast invasiveness and placental angiogenesis, recruitment and instruction of immune cells so as to form a fetus-supporting milieu during pregnancy. The chemokine network is also involved in pregnancy complications.展开更多
MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are a recently discovered class of non-coding RNAs that are expressed in many cell types, where they regulate the expression of complementary RNAs, thus modulating the stability and translation of...MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are a recently discovered class of non-coding RNAs that are expressed in many cell types, where they regulate the expression of complementary RNAs, thus modulating the stability and translation of mRNAs, miRNAs are predicted to regulate the expression of -50% of all protein coding genes in mammals. Therefore, they participate in virtually all cellular processes investigated so far. Altered miRNAs expressions are associated with both physiological （pregnancy） and pathological processes （cancer）. As the dynamic maternal-fetal interface plays a critical role in the maintenance of successful pregnancy, it is not surprising that the miRNAs that are unique to reproductive tissues are abundantly expressed. Research in this field has demonstrated the presence and dysregulation of a distinct set of pregnancy-associated miRNAs; however, most studies have centered on localizing various miRNAs in reproductive microdomains associated with normal or complicated pregnancies. Although several independent miRNA regulatory mechanisms associated with endometrial receptivity, immune cells, angiogenesis and placental development have been studied, miRNA-mediated regulation of pregnancy remains poorly understood. This review provides a summary of the current data on miRNA regulation as well as functional profiles of miRNAs that are found in the uterus, in immune cells associated with maternal tolerance to the fetus, and those involved in angiogenesis and placental development.展开更多
文摘T helper 17 （Th17） cells have both regulatory and protective roles in physiological conditions. The Th17 subset and the cytokine interleukin-17A （IL-17A） have been implicated in the pathogenesis of certain autoimmune diseases, several types of cancer and allograft rejection. However, the role of Th17 cells at the maternal/fetal interface remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Th17 cells are present in decidua and are increased in the peripheral blood of 10 clinically normal pregnancies based on intracellular cytokine analysis. Our results suggest a potential role of Th17 cells in sustaining pregnancy in humans. Furthermore, we demonstrate that decidual stromal cells （DSCs） but not trophoblast cells recruit peripheral Th17 cells into the decidua by secreting CCL2. The recruited Th17 cells promote proliferation and invasion and inhibit the apoptosis of human trophoblast cells by secreting IL-17 during the first trimester of pregnancy. These findings indicate a novel role for Th17 cells in controlling the maternal-fetal relationship and placenta development.
基金This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81490741 and 81401224)the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China(2016YFC1000208 and 2017YFC1001401).
文摘Macrophages are crucial for a successful pregnancy, and malfunctions of decidual macrophages correlate with adverse pregnancyoutcomes, such as spontaneous abortion and preeclampsia. Previously, decidual macrophages were often thought to be a singlepopulation. In the present study, we identified three decidual macrophage subsets, CCR2−CD11cLO (CD11clow, ~80%), CCR2−CD11cHI (CD11chigh, ~5%), and CCR2+CD11cHI (CD11chigh, 10–15%), during the first trimester of human pregnancy by flowcytometry analysis. CCR2−CD11cLO macrophages are widely distributed in the decidua, while CCR2−CD11cHI and CCR2+CD11cHImacrophages are primarily detected close to extravillous trophoblast cells according to immunofluorescence staining. According toRNA sequencing bioinformatics analysis and in vitro functional studies, these three subsets of macrophages have differentphagocytic capacities. CCR2+CD11cHI macrophages have pro-inflammatory characteristics, while the CCR2−CD11cHI population issuggested to be anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory due to its high expression of critical heme metabolism-related genes,suggesting that these two subsets of macrophages maintain an inflammatory balance at the leading edge of trophoblast invasionto facilitate the clearance of pathogen infection as well as maintain the homeostasis of the maternal-fetal interface. The presentstudy physiologically identifies three decidual macrophage subsets. Further clarification of the functions of these subsets willimprove our understanding of maternal-fetal crosstalk in the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.39770176)National Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar(No.3 9925012)
文摘Objective: To study the effect of hypoxia on the expression of placental trophoblast cells SATB1 and β-catenin and its correlation with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods: Trophoblastic cell lines HRT8/SVneo were cultured, SATB1 and β-catenin expression and cell biological behavior were determined after hypoxia reoxygenation treatment; cell biological behavior and the expression of related genes were determined after the transfection of SATB1 and β-catenin siR NA; preeclampsia placenta and normal placenta tissues were collected and the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin were determined. Results: OD value, cell migration rate, m RNA contents of SATB1 and β-catenin of H/R group were significantly lower than those of Nor group, cell apoptosis rate was higher than that of Nor group and the number of invasive cells was less than that of Nor group; OD value and bcl-2 mRNA content of SATB1-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; cell apoptosis rate as well as Bax, Caspase-3, caspase-6 and caspase-9 mRNA contents were higher than those of NC group; cell migration rate as well as CTSB, CTSD, MMP2 and MMP9 mRNA contents of β-catenin-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; the number of invasive cells was less than that of NC group; the expression levels of SATB1 and β-catenin in preeclampsia placenta tissue were significantly lower than those in normal placenta tissue. Conclusions: Hypoxia can inhibit the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, which can affect the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of cells.
文摘Embryos express paternal antigens that are foreign to the mother, but the mother provides a special immune milieu at the fetal-maternal interface to permit rather than reject the embryo growth in the uterus until parturition by establishing precise crosstalk between the mother and the fetus. There are unanswered questions in the maintenance of pregnancy, including the poorly understood phenomenon of maternal tolerance to the allogeneic conceptus, and the remarkable biological roles of placental trophoblasts that invade the uterine wall. Chemokines are multifunctional molecules initially described as having a role in leukocyte trafficking and later found to participate in developmental processes such as differentiation and directed migration. It is increasingly evident that the gestational uterine microenvironment is characterized, at least in part, by the differential expression and secretion of chemokines that induce selective trafficking of leukocyte subsets to the maternal-fetal interface and regulate multiple events that are closely associated with normal pregnancy. Here, we review the expression and function of chemokines and their receptors at the maternal-fetal interface, with a special focus on chemokine as a key component in trophoblast invasiveness and placental angiogenesis, recruitment and instruction of immune cells so as to form a fetus-supporting milieu during pregnancy. The chemokine network is also involved in pregnancy complications.
文摘MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are a recently discovered class of non-coding RNAs that are expressed in many cell types, where they regulate the expression of complementary RNAs, thus modulating the stability and translation of mRNAs, miRNAs are predicted to regulate the expression of -50% of all protein coding genes in mammals. Therefore, they participate in virtually all cellular processes investigated so far. Altered miRNAs expressions are associated with both physiological （pregnancy） and pathological processes （cancer）. As the dynamic maternal-fetal interface plays a critical role in the maintenance of successful pregnancy, it is not surprising that the miRNAs that are unique to reproductive tissues are abundantly expressed. Research in this field has demonstrated the presence and dysregulation of a distinct set of pregnancy-associated miRNAs; however, most studies have centered on localizing various miRNAs in reproductive microdomains associated with normal or complicated pregnancies. Although several independent miRNA regulatory mechanisms associated with endometrial receptivity, immune cells, angiogenesis and placental development have been studied, miRNA-mediated regulation of pregnancy remains poorly understood. This review provides a summary of the current data on miRNA regulation as well as functional profiles of miRNAs that are found in the uterus, in immune cells associated with maternal tolerance to the fetus, and those involved in angiogenesis and placental development.
