| First Author | Yellon SM | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Biol Reprod | Volume | 100 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 1386-1394 |
| PubMed ID | 30629144 | Mgi Jnum | J:274646 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6297143 | Doi | 10.1093/biolre/ioz002 |
| Citation | Yellon SM, et al. (2019) Effects of macrophage depletion on characteristics of cervix remodeling and pregnancy in CD11b-dtr mice. Biol Reprod 100(5):1386-1394 |
| abstractText | To test the hypothesis that macrophages are essential for remodeling the cervix in preparation for birth, pregnant homozygous CD11b-dtr mice were injected with diphtheria toxin (DT) on days 14 and 16 postbreeding. On day 15 postbreeding, macrophages (F4/80+) were depleted in cervix and kidney, but not in liver, ovary, or other non-reproductive tissues in DT-compared to saline-treated dtr mice or wild-type controls given DT or saline. Within 24 h of DT-treatment, the density of cell nuclei and macrophages declined in cervix stroma in dtr mice versus controls, but birefringence of collagen, as an indication of extracellular cross-linked structure, remained unchanged. Only in the cervix of DT-treated dtr mice was an apoptotic morphology evident in macrophages. DT-treatment did not alter the sparse presence or morphology of neutrophils. By day 18 postbreeding, macrophages repopulated the cervix in DT-treated dtr mice so that the numbers were comparable to that in controls. However, at term, evidence of fetal mortality without cervix ripening occurred in most dtr mice given DT-a possible consequence of treatment effects on placental function. These findings suggest that CD11b+ F4/80+ macrophages are important to sustain pregnancy and are required for processes that remodel the cervix in preparation for parturition. |
