| First Author | Ito K | Year | 2000 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 97 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 740-4 |
| PubMed ID | 10639149 | Mgi Jnum | J:59892 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1352274 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.97.2.740 |
| Citation | Ito K, et al. (2000) Involvement of decidual Valpha14 NKT cells in abortion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 97(2):740-4 |
| abstractText | The immunological mechanisms that regulate abortion are largely unknown. Here, we found that a distinct subset of lymphocytes, Valpha14 NKT cells expressing an invariant antigen receptor encoded by Valpha14/Jalpha281 and Vbeta7 segments, accumulated in the decidua during pregnancy and provoked abortion upon stimulation with alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer), a specific ligand for Valpha14 NKT cells. The alpha-GalCer-mediated abortion was not observed in Valpha14 NKT-, IFN-gamma-, tumor necrosis factor alpha-, or perforin-knock-out mice and appeared to be due to the degeneration of embryonic trophoblasts mediated by the activated Valpha14 NKT cells whose perforin-dependent killing and production of IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha were essential. The possible role of the decidual Valpha14 NKT cells in the pathogenesis of abortion is discussed. |
