| First Author | Fu B | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 110 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | E231-40 |
| PubMed ID | 23271808 | Mgi Jnum | J:193525 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5468730 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.1206322110 |
| Citation | Fu B, et al. (2013) Natural killer cells promote immune tolerance by regulating inflammatory TH17 cells at the human maternal-fetal interface. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110(3):E231-40 |
| abstractText | Natural killer (NK) cells accumulate at the maternal-fetal interface in large numbers, but their exact roles in successful pregnancy remain poorly defined. Here, we provide evidence that T(H)17 cells and local inflammation can occur at the maternal-fetal interface during natural allogenic pregnancies. We found that decidual NK cells promote immune tolerance and successful pregnancy by dampening inflammatory T(H)17 cells via IFN-gamma secreted by the CD56(bright)CD27(+) NK subset. This NK-cell-mediated regulatory response is lost in patients who experience recurrent spontaneous abortions, which results in a prominent T(H)17 response and extensive local inflammation. This local inflammatory response further affects the regulatory function of NK cells, leading to the eventual loss of maternal-fetal tolerance. Thus, our data identify NK cells as key regulatory cells at the maternal-fetal interface by suppressing T(H)17-mediated local inflammation. |
